Pure of Heart
by Lolly4Holly
Summary: Nick is on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. Isolated by his family. Hidden from his friends. There's only one man he can turn to, but what's he supposed to do when it all comes tumbling down around him? Nick/Greg Slash. Established Relationship. Trigger warnings. Work in Progress...
1. Chapter 1 - Planting the Seed

**Pure of Heart**

**Author:** Lolly4Holly

**Pairings:** Nick/Greg Slash. Established Relationship.

**Warnings:** Adult content, smut, violence, gore, sexual violence, M/M Slash.

**Summary:** Nick is on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. Isolated by his family. Hidden from his friends. There's only one man he can turn to, but what's he supposed to do when it all comes tumbling down around him? Nick/Greg Slash. Established Relationship. Trigger warnings.

**Author's Note: I haven't written anything long in a while, mostly for a complete lack of time to sit down and write but my inspiration for CSI fic's has been wearing a little thin since the end of the show. This story started as a short 4 chapter one shot, but then I wrote the ending chapter and realised I needed to add more. I have around 20+ chapters written at the moment and decided to start uploading. Usually getting feedback from you guys helps me to write more, so please remember to review after reading :)**

**Thanks so much. I hope you enjoy reading!**

**~ Holly**

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**Chapter One – Planting the Seed**

When it came to her children, Jillian Stokes felt completely out of the loop of their troubles.

After returning home from the Charity Ball with her husband all those years ago, she found her youngest son trembling, shrivelled in the corner of his room. He refused to move, get up to go to the bathroom or even come down for breakfast the next day. She searched for answers for months, but no one would say a word about what happened, least of all her son.

Looking back, Jillian could see the answer as clear as day. She didn't know how she could dismiss such a horrible thing. Maybe she knew all along, she just didn't want to believe that something like that could happen to her own son. Maybe she refused to accept what had happened out of guilt. It was her who insisted that they leave him with the new babysitter. She came highly recommended from one of her neighbours, but they weren't exactly good neighbours to begin with. She could only remember the woman's first name all these years later.

It certainly wasn't enough to go on to track her down and ask her why would do such a thing to a vulnerable child.

Jillian shivered, worrying that the woman had done it to many more children over the years. She was in her early twenties at the time. She could have been babysitting for dozens of families over the years. She could even have a family of her own, tormenting her own children.

Bile rose up in Jillian's throat.

"Mama, did you hear me?" Her youngest son gave her a curious look. He was sat across the room from her, clasping his hands tightly together in his lap. He was still so young and innocent. His big brown eyes always showed his pure soul and forgiving heart.

He was a grown man now, but he would always be her baby boy.

"Nicholas, this isn't exactly an easy thing to deal with." His father, Judge Stokes piped in, looking at his wife's pale complexion beside him. "Are you sure that she… I mean, it was a long time ago now. You could have… dreamed it or… kids make a lot of stuff up."

"It's not exactly somethin' you forget." Nick pointed out to his father, clasping his hands a little tighter, until his knuckles were completely white. "I've lived with the memory of what she did to me ever since I was a kid. I was nine. I've never forgotten any of it. I've often hoped it was just a dream or that I imagined it… but it's always there in the back of my mind."

The Judge sprang to his feet, scratching his chin as he made his way over to the window. He stared out at their empty back garden, starting to make his chin red from his anxious scratches.

"This is why I didn't tell you." Their uncomfortable son leant back into the comfortable scatter cushions of the sofa, almost wishing he was small again so he could hide away inside them. "I never wanted to disappoint you."

His father shot him a look. "Disappoint us?" The statement hit him like a ton of bricks. How could his own son feel ashamed by something that wasn't his fault? He was only a child. It was his job to protect him, but he had failed at that for so long. He turned away from the window, running his fingers back through his wiry white hair as he tried to think. "This is all on her. I'll kill her."

"Bill."

"No, it's all on her." He kicked the coffee table in the middle of the room, clattering the china coffee mugs together. He charged towards his son, pointing an accusing finger at him. "None of this is on you. You were a child. She took advantage of my boy and she's goin' to burn for eternity because of it. What was her name?" He spun to look at his wife, his temperature rising as the anger boiled inside of him. "Her name. What was it?"

"I… I don't remember. Bill, your heart." His wife cautioned him. "You're not supposed to get worked up like this."

"I'll damn well do whatever I want." He yelled back at her, charging for the doorway. He didn't know what he was going to do, but right now he was in desperate need of a drink and the bar was still set up in his study.

Leaning further back in his seat, Nick anxiously licked his lips, almost afraid to look into his mother's eyes. "I'll get you a glass of water." He shot up from his seat.

"Sit back down." The woman ordered, watching her youngest nestling back between the pillows. "I won't pretend to understand your reasons behind keeping this from me, but I will say… thank you for trusting us with this." She placed her hand over her heart, wishing she had seen it sooner. "Is this the reason why you moved out to Las Vegas of all places?"

"No, Mama. I moved to Vegas for the job opportunity. I told you I was sick of bein' stuck in the lab here in Texas. Las Vegas offered me career advancement and the chance to work with Doctor Grissom." He couldn't help but smile at the memory of him trying to sell the idea to his parents all those years ago.

"Does Greg know?" She raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Yes." Nick lowered his gaze. "I… kinda had to tell him. It was hard to be… intimate with him without him knowin' what happened."

His mother nodded softly, letting her eyes travel across the dozens of family photos they had on the wall. She could pick out little Nicky in all of them, the saddened look in his eyes remaining after the age of nine. She always thought he was just more sensitive than the others, but now she could see that he had been traumatised and his eyes were the window into his precious little soul.

"I need to… check on dinner." She pushed herself to her feet, taking one last look at her son, before she left the room. She stopped outside the doorframe, letting her tears fall free.

How could she ever make this up to him?

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Jillian inhaled a few choppy breaths to compose herself, before she made her way back to the kitchen. She couldn't force out a smile or pretend to be happy for the sake of her other children right now, so she left them to their own devices, focusing all her attention on dinner.

Nick remained seated in the other room, staring at the empty seats where his parents had been sat just a few moments ago.

After a sharp inhale, he made a move to get up, spotting the familiar angelic features of his boyfriend making his way towards him. The younger man dropped to the seat beside him, taking one look at him, before he slid his arms around him, holding him tight.

He really needed that hug.

"I've imagined tellin' them a thousand times over the years. I pictured them laughin', cryin', throwin' me out or refusin' to believe a word I said." Nick buried his face into the younger man's neck, breathing in his familiar comforting scent. "I never pictured it goin' like that."

"Do you feel better now that they know?"

Breathing in a deep breath, Nick clutched the younger man even tighter, burying his face deeper into the nook of Greg's shoulder. "Not even a little." He closed his eyes as his tears started to flow, grateful he had listened to the younger man and brought him along with him for this trip to his parents' ranch. "Can we go home now?"

"I wish we could, but our flight isn't until Monday." Greg sank into the scatter cushions, cradling his boyfriend's head in his arms. "It's not so bad here. It's nice seeing where you grew up, getting to know your parents without worrying about you being six feet under in a box somewhere."

"Yeah, let's bring that up as often as possible." Nick sarcastically remarked, adjusting himself to lean against the pillows, so he could look into the younger man's eyes. "Thank you for bein' here with me."

"I'd say anytime, but we can't miss another week of work at the same time. People might start to get suspicious."

"Would that be so bad?"

Greg giggled softly, brushing his fingertips through the man's tears. "This coming from the man who nearly threw up when I tried to hold his hand the first time. You had a panic attack the first night you woke up in my arms and…"

"Okay, okay… you can stop now." Nick put his finger to the younger man's lips, looking into the caramel depths of his eyes. "That was two years ago, cut me some slack. I was an idiot. I was in love with you, but I was too afraid to be with you for fear of what other people might think." He pressed his lips to Greg's, almost wishing they were alone so he could fulfil another fantasy of his. "Now I don't care who knows about us. I love you, G."

"You don't care who knows?" He picked up on what he said.

"No, I don't care if they figure out we're datin' by takin' more time off together. Honestly, I'm surprised none of them have even figured it out yet. They're supposed to notice little things like this. We've been sneakin' around goin' on two years now right under their noses and they still haven't noticed anythin'. Maybe I should walk right up to you in the middle of the lab and kiss you in front of them." He playfully tickled his sides, adoring the look in his eyes.

"I love you, Nicky."

"Greg, you left the game." One of Nick's nephews burst into the room. "We're losing without a big person on our team."

"You better get back." Nick released his hold on his boyfriend. "I'll be okay." He assured him with a smile.

"Greg, c'mon." The child grabbed his hand, trying to pull him to his feet.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming. You realise you were only winning before because I was distracting the opposing team with my screams of terror." He laughed, waving goodbye to his boyfriend as he rejoined the football game outside.

He steered clear of Nick's older brother, Billy, during the game, fearing he might break his neck if he tackled him to the ground. And not just because they were on opposing teams. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of his brother dating a man and he was even angrier when that man showed up on their doorstep to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. He shared similar features with Nick, but Greg had yet to see a good side to him.

"He's good with the kids." Gwen startled her little brother. "They love him out there. Tommy and Lucas were actually fighting over who got Greg on their team." She sat down beside her baby brother, giving him a smile as she looked into his eyes. "I'm glad you decided to bring him with you this time, Nicky. It's about time Dad met him. You two have been serious for a while now. Any plans in the works for kids of your own someday?"

Nick let out a smirk, shaking his head at her. "I don't know if you noticed, sis, but we can't exactly have a child."

"Sure you can." Gwen slapped his leg. "Don't tell me you've never heard of a surrogate before. You can use your DNA or Greg's. Find yourself a girl. Either through an agency or a friend. Get her knocked up… the non traditional way." She warned him. "I mean, I'd even be willing to be your surrogate."

"Seriously?" Nick raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sure, I've had my kids. Anthony and I don't have plans for anymore. He's even been considering getting the snip lately."

Nick uncomfortably shivered in his seat. "But then the baby would be yours and Greg's. I'd be raisin' my niece or nephew."

"You can use a donor for the egg too." Gwen continued to try and sell him on the idea. "That way the baby won't be biologically mine. You could even do a sperm cocktail. Both you and Greg donate your little swimmers. The Doc shakes them up in a little cocktail before the insemination. Then either of you could be the father." She giggled watching him cringe. "If you're not so keen on that idea then you can adopt. There are thousands of children of all ages waiting for a loving home. I know you can offer that to them."

"Honestly, we haven't really discussed it." He spoke softly. "And with the hours we work, we'd never see them anyway. Besides, we haven't been together _that_ long. We're not even married yet. Legally we can't."

"Aw, Mama really drilled all that traditional marriage before babies stuff into your head, didn't she?"

"You're one to talk." He laughed. "Dad practically dragged you down the aisle kickin' and screamin' with a baby in your belly."

Gwen stuck her tongue out at him, eliciting another chuckle from his lips. "You and Greg have been together for years. Have you even discussed the future with him?"

"Two years." He held up two fingers. "And that's none of your business."

"Nuh uh, you were talking about him for years before that."

"Because he was my friend for all that time." Nick pushed himself out from the cosy scatter cushions, wiping away the last of his tears. "Greg's my _best_ friend. The best friend I've ever had. For now, I kinda just want him all to myself."

"After what you've been through, you deserve some happiness." Gwen took his hand in hers, climbing to her feet with her baby brother. "Just promise me that if you do finally marry him, you'll invite me. I'll be your best woman or maid of honour. Whatever you need." She giggled as she led the way out to rejoin the family, watching his eyes light up seeing Greg racing around the garden with the kids. "Where does he get his energy?"

"Uncle Nick, Daddy said he's tired. We need a grown up on our team." His niece, Hayley grabbed his arm. "C'mon, we're not big enough to tackle Greg."

Gwen gave her little brother a smile, ushering him away. "Go on, Nicky. Tackle Greg." She took her seat on the sidelines, watching the kids rallying around their favourite uncle. He had never been much of football fan, but he would do anything to put a smile on his nieces and nephews faces and he rather enjoyed seeing Greg in action.

A few hours later the family sat down to dinner, enjoying light conversation about the upcoming holidays. Jillian remained silent, keeping a close eye on her youngest son. He occasionally smiled or nodded in agreement with a conversation. She worried even more about him now then she ever had in the past. She held him extra tight at the end of the night, reluctant to let him go, until her husband moved her aside to give his son a hug.

"Drive safe." The Judge led them down the driveway. "What time is your flight tomorrow?" He queried, putting his arm around his son's shoulders.

"Not until later in the afternoon."

"Good, we can go on one last fishin' trip before you head back to sin city. What about you Greg?" He called out to the younger man, rather eagerly getting the rental car started. "Do you fish?"

"Uh… I used to."

"Good, I'll see you both bright and early tomorrow mornin'." He clapped his son over the back, giving them both a smile as he walked away.

Nick gave out a heavy sigh as his father returned to the house, climbing into the passenger seat of their car. He pulled his seatbelt on while Greg climbed inside, spotting his sister running down the driveway after her youngest on a two wheeler. "Hey, sis." He pushed the button to wind down his window. "You don't fancy joinin' us on an impromptu fishin' trip tomorrow mornin', do you?"

"Can't. I have an ethics convention to attend. My flight out to California is at two am. Anthony's got the kids to himself for three whole days." She laughed at the thought of her husband trying to manage their brood by himself. She joined them by the car, giving them both a smile. "Hey, don't be a stranger, okay? Christmas is coming up. Do you think you'll be able to take the time off to come and see us again?"

"I uh… I think we're actually spendin' Christmas with Greg's parents." Nick motioned towards his boyfriend. "We… might be able to work somethin' out though."

"Good, good." Gwen waved at Greg. "Bye Greg, it was lovely to _finally_ meet you. Emphasis on the finally. Nicky has been talking about you so long, I feel like I've known you for years. Don't be a stranger, okay? Make sure Nicky brings you up here around Christmas time. It's lovely here when it snows."

"Will do."

"Dylan, get back here!" Gwen yelled at her son. "I said _not_ to go past the last truck. Get back here. Pedal faster boy." She clapped her hands together to hurry him along, giving her brother another wave. "Bye. Drive safe."

"Bye." Nick pushed the button to wind his window back up, turning to look at the younger man beside him. "Sorry… about the fishin' trip, I mean. I might be able to get you out of it, but he'll never let me off the hook."

"I'll go." Greg put the truck in reverse, reaching out for his boyfriend's hand. "He's really not so bad. He's not." He assured him, getting the truck on the road. He stopped to wave to the parents still watching them, before he pulled away in the direction of their hotel. "He was talking to me earlier, asking questions about my parents, my career… genuine interest. I think he likes me."

"My father doesn't like anythin'… besides himself."

"He loves you." Greg corrected the man, wishing he would give him a chance. "He made me promise never to break your heart." He enlightened him. "I think you're still just in shock that your father even accepts you. You assumed crash position, expected the worst possible outcome. I don't think you were actually prepared for him to be okay with you having a boyfriend or being gay."

"There's no way he's okay with this." Nick stuck to it. "There's just no way."

"I think he is. He's had a few months to get used to it now and I think meeting me really helped him to see what you see in me." Greg squeezed his hand a little tighter over the gear shaft, giving him a reassuring smile. "You always said he'd never want to look at you, speak to you or have you anywhere near the house again. We just spent an entire day in their house. He spoke to me, told me to protect you because you've always been more sensitive than your brother or sisters. He listened to you when you wanted to talk to him about something serious and he hugged us both in the doorway." He laid out all the evidence for the man. "Your father loves you, Nick."

Sniffling back his tears threatening to spill, Nick stared out of the window beside them, realising he was probably right. "Can we just… talk about somethin' else, please?"

"Sure." Greg raised their hands, pressing a kiss to the back of Nick's. "Uh… your sister mentioned something about an ethics convention?" He queried.

"Oh yeah, my sister is a doctor. Head shrink. She works with young teens dealin' with eatin' disorders and self harm. She works out of High schools mostly."

"Wow. I thought she was a full time mother or something by the way she talked."

"I know." He laughed. "She talks about her patients like they're her kids. I think she thinks of them as her extended family."

"How many kids does she actually have then?"

"Four." Nick bit his lip a moment, trying to remember all of their names. "Dylan's the youngest. Then there's the twins, Oscar and Lucas. Emma's the oldest. She wasn't here today. I think she's nineteen… almost twenty by now. My sister had her when she was in her teens. You know she offered to be a surrogate for us."

"Your sister?" Greg giggled softly, turning the truck in the direction of their hotel. "I got the same offer from your brother's wife."

"Should I be worried?"

"No." He smirked. "She just said how good I was with the kids and if we ever thought about having any of our own, she'd be willing to be a surrogate for us."

"Do you?" Nick turned to look at the younger man. "Want kids I mean?"

"I don't know… I never really thought about it." Greg shrugged his shoulders together, pulling up beside the smiley valet. "I suppose it might be kinda cool to have a kid of our own one day. If we ever get time out of work to spend time with them. We'd have to be there for them for school things, holidays… we don't exactly have time for a full commitment like that. Not unless one of us puts our career on hold. Do you want kids?" He turned the question around on him, before he started rambling.

"I… want you." Nick leant across the gap to seal a kiss to his lips. He gave him a smile, before he climbed out of the car. The valet grabbed the keys off Greg, giving the younger man a wink as he climbed behind the wheel. "I think you've got an admirer."

"He's way too young for me." Greg stuffed the ticket in his pocket, grabbing his boyfriend's hand. He led him inside, not caring who saw or them as he took them upstairs to their room. "I don't know about you, but I really need a shower after that game."

"I'm pretty tired actually." The older man kicked off his shoes, shedding his coat as he made his way through to their room. He sat himself on the end of the bed, flopping onto his back. He placed his hands on his stomach as he breathed slowly, feeling the bed shifting beside him. "I'm okay, Greg… just exhausted."

"Telling your folks all of that must have been pretty hard." He propped himself on his elbow beside Nick's head. "I'm proud of you, baby." Greg gently combed his fingers through the man's hair, falling even deeper in love with him as he looked into his eyes. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"I'm startin' to get it." He reached his hand up for Greg's cheek, brushing his thumb through his scratchy stubble. "You're so beautiful."

"Wow, that's a first."

"I'm sure I've said that before."

"You've called me gorgeous, cute, adorable… but I've never heard you say I was beautiful before."

"Well you are. And you can take my word for it when I tell you I've never said that about another man before." He held the younger man's jaw as he pulled him closer, sealing their lips together for a kiss. "I don't want to wait to take chances with my life anymore, G."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I…" Pushing himself to a sitting position, Nick turned to face the younger man, ready to pour his heart out to him. "I have never felt this way about anyone before. I know we haven't been together that long…"

"Speak for yourself." Greg cut him off. "I haven't had relationships last past the six month marker. This is the longest relationship I've ever had. Not to mention the best."

"Okay, well to me it still feels new. Every day with you is an adventure. I still get butterflies in my stomach knowin' I'm about to see you again. And… I am completely in love with everythin' about you, Greg. I almost died, never knowin' if things between us could work out. I don't want to waste any more opportunities to be with you, so I think as soon as we get back to Las Vegas… you should move in with me. Or I'll move in with you, either way works for me. Also, I wonna marry you, G."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… one huge step at a time, Nicky."

"I know, I know. But I can't think of any reason not to." He took both the younger man's hands in his own. "It doesn't have to be a big ceremony or anythin'. I'll be happy to just exchange rings and let our friends know that we're together. I know that you're the one, Greg. I've been thinkin' a lot about what I really want and you're a huge part of that. So marry me and move in with me, so I get to see you every single day. Or in the other order, because I kinda want you to live with me now and a weddin' takes time to plan."

"You're really starting to pick up a few of my bad habits." Greg burst into an explosive grin. "Of course I'll marry you."

Throwing his arms around the younger man, Nick held him tight, pressing his lips to his partner's neck. He breathed in the strong scent of sweat from his shoulder, feeling as though his heart was about to burst from the excitement. "You stink, but you still smell so good."

"I can go shower. Less vagrant more fragrant."

"Make it a bath in our luxury tub then I'll join you."

"Alright, you're on." Greg stole a quick kiss from his lips, scrambling off the bed like a lightning bolt. "I hope you like bubbles." He called back to him, running for the bathroom. He stripped his clothes off while the Jacuzzi tub filled with warm water, before he emptied half a bottle of bubble bath into the mix to make it extra bubbly. He flinched as he felt a hand on his spine, smoothing its way towards his waist.

"I want you to know that I would never lie to you or do anythin' to hurt you." Nick put his mouth to his ear, holding his body close. "I'll never keep anythin' from you and I'll always be there for you."

"I know you will. You always have been." He tilted his head back to look into the man's eyes. "I trust you, Nicky. Completely. I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"You have no idea how happy that makes me."

"Well, unless I'm mistaken," With a cheeky grin, he ran his hand towards the protrusion digging into his back. "I think I have an idea of just how happy I make you."

"Get in the tub, yah little perv."


	2. Chapter 2 - Temptation

**Chapter Two – Temptation**

"Sandwich?"

Greg lifted his gaze from the magazine he was reading, giving his boyfriend a curious look. He looked around to make sure no one else was in the break room, before he grabbed the extra sandwich from the man's lunch box that even had his name on it. It was so cute he wanted to kiss him right there and then, but he didn't want to risk something like that out in the open.

"Thanks." Love in his eyes, Greg gave the man a smile he had been waiting to see all day. "Will you still bring me sandwiches when we're married?"

"Of course I will. I wouldn't even have to slip you them on the sly anymore." Nick gave him a wink, closing up his empty lunch box. "Just don't tell Warrick, he's been eyein' my turkey sandwiches all day. He'll be pissed I gave it to you." He grabbed the coffee pot off the side, searching for some clean mugs for them. "I'm headin' out with Sara to our suspects house in a bit. We finally got our warrant. Are you still pickin' me up from Doctor Reed's office after your shift?"

"Yep, I'm lab bound for the rest of the day. Ecklie wants me to keep an eye on the new DNA tech, Floyd. Wendy's supposed to be doing it, but she's off sick. I think she's just pulling a sicky after that argument she had with Hodges in full view of everyone." Greg took a bite out of his delicious turkey sandwich, seriously wishing he could kiss the man right now, but he could already feel the prying eyes of the lab techs looking their way. "Mm," He purred. "I can't believe I'm dating a man who roasts a whole turkey just for turkey sandwiches leading up to Christmas."

"It's a tradition. Reminds me of home." Nick really missed being home this time of year. He missed being surrounded by family more than the food his mother always made, but the turkey sandwiches were a little slice of comfort from his old life. "You know I can't wait to head up to your folks this Christmas. It'll be nice to have a good old fashioned Christmas spread with the family."

"My Mom can't wait either. She keeps texting me how many sleeps left until Christmas. She's such a big kid around the holidays." Greg licked his lips after another bite, looking towards the other man. "Wait, did you just refer to _my_ mother as family?"

"Yeah, I did." He beamed a mile wide grin in his direction. "Not just your mother either. Your Nana and Papa Olaf. And your Dad. They always make me feel welcome. I've never had that at home. I always feel like an outsider at my house durin' the holidays. Your parents accepted me right away and didn't exclude me from anythin'. They made me feel like a part of the family."

"You are you know." Greg assured him. "Part of the family. Once the Sanders clan take you in, you're in it for life. And your folks really weren't so bad."

"They made us book our own hotel _after_ tellin' us that we were welcome to stay at the ranch. _And_ they sat you at the kids table for dinner." He jogged the younger man's memory. "Your parents would _never_ do that to me. They let us stay under their roof in your old childhood room and they let us sit together at dinner."

"To be fair, the kids at my table had way more interesting things to talk about then your brother."

"Yeah, you're probably right on that one." They shared a laugh.

"Speaking of dinner," Greg licked his lips after another bite of his sandwich. "Do I need to pick up dinner tonight? It's my turn, right?"

"No, I have a surprise for you actually." Nick poured an extra cup of coffee, taking it over to the younger man.

"What kind of a surprise?"

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it, G?" He smirked, tempted to lean in and steal a kiss. The door opening behind him quickly snapped him out of that idea. He shot backwards away from the table, feeling the blood draining from his face at the sight of the other man.

"No way, you gave it to Sanders!" Warrick noticed the turkey sandwich in the younger man's clutches. He shot daggers in his direction. "Why does he get special attention?"

"Uh… Sara's waitin' for me by the car." Nick avoided answering the question. He gave his boyfriend a slight smile, before he disappeared out the door.

Greg gulped down another mouthful of sandwich, giving the older man in the room a nervous smile. "I uh… gave him some advice."

"Dating advice? You?" Warrick smirked, grabbing himself a coffee mug. "Why would Nick need dating advice from you?"

"I never said it was dating advice. It was just… advice."

"Oh yeah," The older man laughed, bringing his coffee mug to his lips. "What words of wisdom did the great Greg Sanders give to our Nicky Stokes then?"

"That's between Nick and me. I… I have to go check on some results." Grabbing his coffee, Greg pushed himself to his feet, taking the other half of his sandwich with him as he left the room. He didn't want to accidentally out the man. He really wished Nick would tell him soon. He couldn't put up with much more of the secrets and lies they had to keep from everyone.

"Oh, Mr Sanders," The new lab tech, Floyd stumbled over the stool in the middle of the room, catching himself against the table. He cracked a nervous smile, sighing out a deep breath. "I was just looking for you. I… I uh… I may have cross contaminated some results."

"I told you I was on my lunch break in the break room. It's right across the hall." Greg frowned at him, realising what he just said. He looked as though he was about fifteen with his cute boyish grin and hairless chin, but he was supposed to be highly recommended from the San Diego lab. He reminded Greg of a frightened hamster the way he was jittering about. "How did you do that?" He had only left him alone for twenty minutes.

"Oh, right." He hurried over to his work bench, picking up the folder. "Well, I… I was working on a few cases from day shift earlier. There's still a backlog from swing shift too, but that tall rat looking guy with way too many nose hairs told me that day shift cases were a priority. Then Doctor Grissom came in and asked me to rush his results from the triple homicide he's working that's been all over the news. He's worried the killer would strike again. I got a match to someone in the database. A Mark Kiln. He's got so many priors; it's unbelievable he's not in prison for life already."

Greg watched the younger man's lips as he spoke, wondering if he was that annoying when he nervously rambled. If he was, then why on earth would Nick think it was cute?

"Floyd," He had to shut him up. "Get to the point. Why do you think you cross contaminated the results?"

"No, I think I mixed up the samples from Ecklie's scene." He clarified. "Mark Kiln came up as a match to the unknown blood smear caught on the opposite end of the knife."

"Did you take a new sample?"

"From the knife? Yeah, I did. It came up the same. I thought I should run the samples from Doctor Grissom's scene again, but when I went down to autopsy to get new samples that creepy Doctor guy confirmed to Grissom that the body on the slab was Mark Kiln."

"Well," Greg waited a moment. "Did you get new test samples?"

"No." Floyd stepped closer in case anyone was around, whispering, "He looked really angry."

"Who did?" Greg frowned in confusion.

"Doctor Grissom. He thinks this guy was murdered by the same guy as his other three victims."

"Where did these samples come from?" Greg shook the piece of paper in his hands, urgency in his voice. "From Grissom's cases, where were they from, Floyd? You're supposed to label it or it won't count for anything in court."

"I did. I just… oh, right… they were taken from the fingernails of the victims. They fought back. Doctor Grissom figured they might have got a piece of their attacker. I only did one hand from each of the victims."

"Okay, you go and get new samples." He pointed him to the door. "And while you're there ask Doctor Robbins to examine Mark Kiln's body for defensive wounds from the fingernails."

"You want me to…?"

"No Floyd, Doctor Robbins." He hissed back.

"Right, right. Yes… sir." Floyd hurried for the door.

"Don't call me sir!"

"Sorry sir, uh… I mean… Sand… Mr Sanders." He made a dash down the hall, running straight into the man he had been trying to avoid.

"No running in the halls." Ecklie barked at the young tech. He stood watch over him a moment to make sure he obeyed his command, before he made his way into the DNA lab. "And no food in the labs. C'mon Sanders, you should know the rules by now. What's going on with everyone today? Do you have my results back yet?"

"Sorry." Greg quickly wolfed down the last bite of his sandwich, holding a finger up to the man while he chewed. He watched Floyd quickly legging it once he was out of Ecklie's sights, giving out a soft sigh of relief.

The older man folded his arms across his chest, glaring at the young CSI. "I'm waiting, Sanders. My patience is already wearing thin."

"Sorry," Greg gasped for breath, licking away the last of the cranberry sauce from his lips. "We've got a ton of backlog to work through, but you are next on my list. I'll get to it now."

Ecklie rolled his eyes. "By this afternoon." He pointed a stern finger at the man. "I knew hiring a Sanders lookalike would come back to bite me in the ass."

"He doesn't look like me." Greg protested, catching a glare from the man. "He does not!"

A grin spread across his lips. "Call me as soon as you have anything."

* * *

Removing her sunglasses, Detective Childs smiled at the approaching CSIs, softly biting the end of her sunglasses frame between her painted crimson red lips. "Afternoon, you must be my CSIs. Sidle and Stokes was it?" She eyed up the gorgeous hunk of meat behind the woman who really needed to run a comb through her hair.

"I'm Sidle. He's Stokes." Sara reported, already feeling like a third wheel.

"Well hello there. I'm Detective Childs," Curving her lips into a seductive smile, the Detective winked at Nick, before she led the way. "Right this way folks. I'll have to warn you, it's a bit of a dump in there."

"Any sign of the wife?" Grabbing her kit, Sara followed the Detective inside the house, turning her nose up at the sight of all the mess. The floor was lined with bits of dirty newspaper, old clothing not fit for humans to even go near, let alone wear and clumps of what she could only guess was dog hair. At least she hoped it was that. "Oh, that's disgusting. How can people live like this?" She covered her nose with the sleeve of her shirt, watching Nick snapping on some gloves, ready to get to work.

"Wife was a junkie." Detective Childs stepped in behind them, glad she wasn't the one that had to go through all the junk on the floor. "She died around four months ago. The house was in her name. She didn't have any other family, so it transferred to her husband. No kids, thankfully. According to the neighbours, he's got himself a new fancy lady friend. She stops by every few days or so. They don't know her name. They haven't seen her in over a week now. All they could say was she has brown hair."

"That narrows it down." Nick smirked, fishing his camera out of his kit. "How'd the wife die?"

"Overdose. Surprising for a junkie?" Detective Childs snickered, staying in the doorway to the kitchen to watch them working. "Oh, you might want to check the garage out first. There's a funky smell in there." She gave them a word of warning.

"With all of this smell stinking up the place, how could you tell?" Sara set her kit down on a clean patch of floor, giving out a soft sigh. "I hope no food was prepared in this kitchen. Not that I would _ever _eat anything that came out of this house anyway."

"I think there's a dead rat on the counter." Her partner cringed.

"Yep." Detective Childs confirmed. "There's several throughout the house I'm afraid. We saw at least five on our sweep of the place."

"So glad I skipped lunch." Sara held her stomach, holding back her breakfast. "Okay, I guess you take the garage and I'll check through his stuff. We just need motive and a murder weapon, right?"

"I'd say his motive is pretty clear." Detective Childs reminded them of the incident that happened in the interrogation room this morning. "He treated Willows like a second class citizen. He's a sexist pig."

"Well in our department, we like to rely on a little thing called evidence." Sara remarked, seeing a future of butting heads with their newest Detective already.

"You know Doc Robbins said our vic used to be a brunette. He said her hair had a fresh coat of bottle blonde." Nick remembered, cautiously stepping towards the door leading to the garage. He stopped in his tracks as he spotted something, bursting into a grin. "Sara." He motioned her attention towards the open top bin.

Sara joined his side, rolling her eyes. "Well, that was easy. Not that I'm disappointed, I didn't really fancy routing through all of this junk to find something suspicious." She smirked. "Looks like he didn't even wash the knife before he dumped it. How much do you want to bet his prints are still on the handle?" She grabbed an evidence marker from her kit, setting it beside the knife so Nick could snap a picture. "Complete with dried blood. Looks the same width as the stab wounds to our vic. Can it really be that easy?"

"Hey at least we get to go home early. And this guy goes behind bars." Nick couldn't help but smile. "I'd call that a win."

"Oh yeah, are you buying dinner, Stokes?" Detective Childs piped in, running her eyes up and down the man like he was a piece of meat.

"It's not really a win for the girl he stabbed to death." Sara pointed out to them both, grabbing an evidence container for the knife. "We still don't have an ID on her either. She could have parents out there looking for her. Maybe she even has a child or a boyfriend?"

"Hey Sara, look at this." Nick snapped a picture of the photos on the fridge, before he peeled off one of the pictures to show her. "That's our suspect." He pointed out one of them. "And there's our vic as a brunette."

"And that," Sara rolled her eyes pointing to the other man in the photo. "Unmistakable as the scumbag's lawyer. He's even wearing the same cheap suit."

Detective Childs stepped between them, taking a look for herself. "Alright, I'll call Brass." She clicked her heels out of the house, pulling back her long blonde hair before she put a call in to her new boss.

"I think she likes you." Sara turned to look at her partner.

"Really? Couldn't tell." The man carefully poked through the junk littered across the counter, snapping a picture of the mail left out on the side.

"Are you gonna take her up on that offer of dinner?" She queried.

"She's… really not my type, Sara." Nick replied after an awkward hesitation. He wanted to tell her about Greg so badly, but he knew it would be better coming from Greg. The two of them had shared a brother/sister bond since Sara's early days at the lab.

"What's that then female, blonde, a pair of boobs in your face? She's exactly your type."

"For the record, I'm an ass man." He set her straight. "And if that's all you think of me then you really don't know me that well, Sara."

"So she's _not_ your type?" She continued to pry.

"You have no idea." The man laughed, motioning over his shoulder. "I'll check out the funky smell in the garage. Don't get eaten by the rats."

"Ugh," Sara involuntarily shivered, wishing she had called in sick today.

* * *

Floyd anxiously chomped on the tips of his fingers, shaking his leg against the table as he watched the machine doing its job. The test tubes on top quaked with each jolt from his knee. It almost sounded like he was in a high speed train filled with glass bottles clattering against each other.

"Would you stop that!" Greg snipped.

"Oh…" He grabbed his leg to stop it from shaking. "Sorry, sir… Sand… Mr Sanders." He nervously rambled, trembling even more.

"It's Greg." The older man groaned. It felt like the hundredth time he had told him that now.

"Sorry." Floyd whispered in a barely audible voice.

Floyd lowered his hands to his lap, white knuckling his fingers into his thighs. The last thing he wanted to do was get on the bad side of his role model, but he turned into a nervous wreck whenever he was around. He didn't know if it was his big beautiful caramel brown eyes that made him so nervous or the adorable way Greg's lips curved when he was angry. He adored the clusters of moles that speckled his pale white complexion, but why would a man like Greg Sanders ever look at a dork like him.

Greg gave him another glare, finally grabbing the sheet of paper the machine spat out.

"Well?" Floyd waited in suspense. "Did I fuck it up?"

Greg looked over the results a moment, before he shook his head. "No, Floyd. You didn't fuck it up. Mark Kiln stabbed Ecklie's victim then went on to kill Grissom's victims. I'll call Gris, tell him the bad news."

"Why bad news?"

"Because now he has to work with Ecklie." He sighed. He hated being the bearer of bad news. "Trust me, that's bad. Bright side, this gets Ecklie off our backs."

"So this guy went on a killing rampage of women before he got the axe himself?" Floyd couldn't help but smile. "At least they got some justice."

"Still doesn't make it right." Greg pointed him towards the lab table. "Get to work on swing shifts cases now. We don't need her mad at us too."

"Yes, sir." Floyd slapped his hand over his mouth, already catching the annoyed glare from his mentor. "I'll just." He scampered towards the other side of the lab, snapping on a fresh pair of gloves before he got to work.

Greg sighed heavily as he left the room. This shift couldn't end soon enough.

* * *

"Truthfully doc," Looking down at his hands in his lap, Nick anxiously picked at his nails, wishing he had the courage to just blurt it all out. "I've never put much faith in head shrinks. I only came to see you because it was mandatory in order for me to get my job back. And I only stuck with it this long because my boyfriend thinks it's helpin' me to deal with everythin'. I'm not entirely convinced."

"If Greg didn't think it was helping, would you still be here?" Doctor Reed pried.

Nick shrugged his shoulders together, lifting his gaze slightly. "I guess you've kinda helped with my anxiety. The pills you prescribed really helped in the beginnin'. I finally started sleepin' again. I just don't get how constantly goin' over this stuff again and again is helpin' me in anyway. I want to forget it. I don't want to be this… broken shell forever."

"You look a little anxious today." The other man noticed. "What would you rather be talking about?"

"I… don't know. How I'm supposed to handle tellin' my friends and colleagues that I'm gay? Tellin' my folks was hard enough. Sara tried to set me up with our new Detective today. She asked me out to dinner. Wrote her number in lipstick on my hand." He brushed away the last few digits that still hadn't washed off yet. "I didn't know how to turn her down without offendin' her."

"Are you worried your friends won't accept you if they know the truth?"

Breathing in a deep breath, Nick leant back against the sofa cushions, pursing his lips together a moment. He clicked his tongue a few times, before he asked, "Does anyone ever actually get better?"

"They can learn to deal with their symptoms. Some peoples anxiety stops them from being able to socialise, trust or even go out into the world and experience what it has to offer. Over time therapy can help them to deal with what makes them anxious. It can give them their lives back."

Nick smiled softly, wondering if that was written in a textbook somewhere. "My sister said the exact same thing."

"Is this your sister… Gwen," He glanced through his old notes. "The one who helps children with eating disorders?"

"Supposedly."

"Why do you say that?" The doctor queried.

"I thought we're here to talk about me?" He snipped.

"We can talk about whatever you want, Nick." Doctor Reed crossed one leg over the other, curiously watching his patient as he anxiously shifted on the sofa. "You've changed the subject three, nearly four times since you arrived. What are you anxious about, Nick?"

"Everythin'," He ran his hand across his chin. "I feel like I'm on the verge of a panic attack, but I don't know when it'll strike. I want to be happy with Greg. But it feels like there's obstacles at every turnin'. I feel like I'm walkin' on eggshells and every step I take…" Nick ran his fingers back through his hair, giving out a sigh. "I just… I don't know what to do."

"You didn't say much about your weekend away with Greg. You were really nervous about it before you left. Did everything go as you planned?"

"Not_ exactly_ as planned." He shook his head slightly. "But I guess these things never really work out how you expect them to. My folks kicked us out to a hotel the first day we got there. Greg didn't mind so much. We got to spend more time together and Greg loved the view of the city from our room. He loves a high view. Anythin' that makes him feel taller than the buildings. He looks like a kid on Christmas mornin'." He pursed his lips together, wishing they could just talk about Greg rather than all of his problems. "I managed to talk to my parents. I told them everythin'… about the babysitter. My Dad threatened to kill her. My Mama… she kinda just clammed up."

"People deal with things in different ways. Did you feel better after you told them?"

"Not really. I've been worryin' more since I told them. My Dad's got a heart condition. He gets worked up. He's already had two heart attacks. Docs told him to cut the stress out of his life. A third heart attack could kill him. I don't want to be responsible for that." Nick ran his hand back through his hair, giving out a soft sigh. "Then there's my Mama. I'm worried she'll look at me differently. She stopped huggin' me for a while after she found out I was gay. She still barely looks me in the eye. I couldn't have gone there without Greg at my side. My Mama sat Greg at the kids table for dinner. My brother and sisters, husbands and wife have always been able to sit right next to them. Kids are welcomed with open arms, but Greg and I are pushed out like distant relatives the moment we get there."

Nick glanced up as he heard the buzzer to the door, indicating it was time for the next patient to unload their problems on Doctor Reed. He almost wished he had a little more time, but then he remembered he had a surprise for Greg.

"Nick, we can talk for a few more minutes if you want." Doctor Reed assured him. "I won't charge you more."

"Thanks doc." Nick pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his jacket off the arm of the sofa. He sniffled back his tears threatening to spill, stuffing his hands into his pockets to keep them from trembling. "But I've got somewhere to be."

"Nick, if you're feeling anxious." He tried to stop him from leaving. "I can always cancel…"

"I'll be alright. I'll see you in two weeks." Racing out the door like a lightning bolt, Nick made his way to the front desk to sign himself out, giving the receptionist a smile. He returned his hands to his pockets, taking the stairs down to the car park. There were only three cars in the lot at this time of morning and one of them was blasting out heavy metal music with a gorgeous man sat behind the wheel.

Despite everything that was going on in his life, this really was a great time to be alive.

Greg glanced round as the door popped open, quickly reaching out for the radio to click it off. "Hey you."

"Hi."

"Oh, sorry. I got here too early. My phone died playing some slash the fruit game." He moved his charging phone off the passenger seat, giving the man a place to sit down. The older man immediately leant across the gear shaft, cupping Greg's face in his hands as he kissed him for the first time all day. "Mm," He smiled against his lips. "How'd it go?"

"I think I'm cured. No reason to go back." Nick smirked, teasing the man into another kiss. He slid his hand around the man's warm body, purring into his mouth. "Mm, I have been waitin' all day to do that."

"All day?"

"Yep, every second of every minute of every hour." He merged their lips together, tasting every corner of his boyfriend's delicious mouth. "I can't believe it's been over seventeen hours since I last got to kiss you."

His boyfriend grinned. "You were counting?"

Nick quickly checked his watch. "Seventeen hours, fourteen minutes and ten seconds. Give or take."

Giggling softly, Greg pulled the man closer, planting a kiss to his lips. "And that's why I love you. So, where are we off to?"

"Dinner then I'll show you your surprise."

"Dinner isn't the surprise?"

"Nope." The Texan grinned, tapping his boyfriend's thigh. "C'mon G, I'm starvin'. Get this baby on the road."

"Okay, okay," Greg checked around to make sure he was clear, before he pulled out of his parking space. "You know technically its breakfast. No one will be serving dinner."

"Go to our steak house then. Steaks twenty four hours a day, baby." He whistled.

Greg giggled softly. "You are so cute."

"No _you_ are so cute." Nick corrected him. "I'm a mess. You've probably got a lifetime of pickin' me up from the shrink in your future."

"I'm okay with that." He flashed him a smile. "Listen I know you just took one giant step talking to your parents about past stuff, but I've been thinking it might be easier on you… and me if we start telling people about us. Warrick was pretty pissed about the sandwich."

"I knew he would be." He felt his grumbling stomach knotting with nerves. "I want to tell him. I really do."

"But you don't want to lose him?" His ever so insightful boyfriend answered. He reached out for the older man's hand, weaving their fingers together. "He's your best friend. You two have been tight since day one. You've always said you felt like he was more of a brother then a friend. You won't lose him over this. It's Warrick." He pointed out the obvious to the man. "And if you do then he wasn't that good of a friend to begin with."

"I know you're right. I know it… but it doesn't stop me from freakin' out every time I think about tellin' him."

"If you tell him quick, he'll probably be grateful. You know he thinks he's gonna be in competition with you to ask out the new Detective."

"Ugh," Nick groaned. Sara hadn't stop hassling about that. "You heard about that?"

"I heard." Smiling at his blushing boyfriend, Greg reminded him, "You should know by now how quick word travels around the lab. Nothing stays secret for long."

"Speakin' of, I heard about the new Sanders lookalike in the lab."

"He does _not_ look like me." He protested for the hundredth time. "Floyd is incompetent, clumsy and everyone makes him nervous. The kid's scared of Doc Robbins and he's terrified of Grissom."

"Hmm, who does that remind me of?" His boyfriend teased him. "Relax baby, you're one of a kind." He assured him, gently tapping his thigh.

"Technically we all are. Don't tell me I have to explain genetics to you, Tex."

"Shut up and drive, Einstein." He leant across the car, pecking a kiss to the man's cheek. "I'll tell Warrick. I want him to know about us. I do." Nick promised him. "I just don't want him to look at me the way my brother does."

"Warrick isn't Billy."

"I know. I know that. They're nothin' alike, but I'm still terrified." Breathing out a soft sigh, Nick nodded his head, feeling his stomach grumbling as they pulled up outside one his favourite Steak Shacks. "Do you think they still have the meatball sandwich special?" He licked his lips as Greg drove past the entrance to find them a parking spot.

"No way." Greg climbed out the car first, reminding him, "That last one made you gassy. I had to sleep on the sofa to get away from it."

Nick threw his head back in a chuckle. "You realise that when you marry me, you'll have to put up with me and my gassy stomach full time, G." He followed him to the door, racing ahead of him a little to pull the door open for him like a perfect gentleman.

"Yeah." Greg playfully poked him in the side, leaning close enough to whisper, "Once I put a ring on that finger, it's all health food for you, pal."

* * *

**Thanks so much for Reading!**

**I was trying to shorten the chapter to make them all roughly the same length, but every time I read it I only add more to it. So enough editing already, here's the second chapter for you. I hope you enjoyed. Please let me know what you thought in the reviews. Don't forget to click 'Follow Story' if you want to receive updates when I upload a new chapter.**

**Have a great weekend!**

**~ Holly**


	3. Chapter 3 - Relationships

**Chapter Three – Relationships**

"Warrick!" Catherine waved for him to join her. It had been a rubbish night at the lab, so she opted for some cheering up with a good friend at their all time favourite steak house. She noted his expression as he made his way towards her, giving him a curious look. "What's up with you? Is everything alright with Tina and the baby?" She feared he was only here to turn her down. "What happened?"

Warrick sat himself down, anxiously licking his lips. "I uh… I saw something." He spoke in a barely audible whisper. He wasn't quite sure how to get the words out.

"What did you see?" She matched his voice, lowering herself to the table a little. She felt like they were on an undercover mission or maybe even conducting a secret affair. It was true she still had feelings for the man. Knowing he was married with a baby didn't change how she felt, but she knew that he wasn't the kind of man to break a vow.

"I… I uh…"

"Warrick?" Catherine furrowed her brows. "If it was Jackie and that new guy from Ballistics, I'm going to kill her. She was right there when I called dibs."

"No… it wasn't Jackie." Warrick gave her a frown. "Ew… not the guy with the curly grey nose hairs?"

"What?" She shrieked. "Ew, no. Marvin has been there for years. I meant the new guy. He's kind of Nick's build with greasy blonde hair. He's probably half my age but he did say to Jackie he had always had a thing for cougars."

"No." Warrick shook his head again. "That's not what I saw."

"Then what _did_ you see?" She continued to wait in suspense.

"I… I'm not entirely sure."

Catherine cracked a grin, before she gave him a confused look. "Well… would explaining help?"

"Nick kissed Greg." He decided to blurt it right out like ripping off a band aid.

"What?" She snapped, loud enough for the other early morning goers to look their way. She lowered herself a little more to the table, sinking lower in her seat to continue gossiping about their friends. "Why on earth would he do that?"

"I saw them pull in. I was gonna say hi… but then I saw them… kiss." He felt his stomach churning. "You know, suddenly I'm not very hungry."

"Wait," She grabbed his hand, stopping him from getting up. "What kind of kiss was it?"

He glared at her. "Is that really the issue here, Catherine?"

"No… I guess not." She giggled softly. "I was just… curious. Was it a peck on the cheek? Did he blow a kiss to him as a joke or…"

"Full on French kiss." Warrick cringed as he relived the memory of it.

Catherine straightened up, looking for a window to spy on them. "Well, where are they now?"

"They got theirs to go. I watched them leave before I got out my car. I didn't want to make awkward small talk with them."

"They left together? I didn't even see them."

"Well they came in together. It's not like Greg would buy the man dinner then ditch him." He slumped back in his seat, trying to wrap his head around it. "It's gotta be a joke, right? Nick would never kiss the lab rat. Nick's a ladies man. He has a rep for love 'em and leave 'em. He wouldn't kiss Greg if his life depended on it." He tried to rationalise the situation, but the kiss just kept spinning round and round inside his head. "I mean… what the hell is he thinking? Greg?!"

"There must be an explanation."

"What if Greg's taking advantage of him?" Warrick jumped to conclusions.

"C'mon Warrick, he's hardly some fifteen year old virgin in the back of her boyfriend's car for the first time." The woman giggled again, but her partner still wasn't seeing the funny side of it. "This is Nick we're talking about. If he really did kiss Greg then maybe he likes him."

"I doubt it." Warrick shook his head. "Like I said, Nick's the love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. There's no way he'd settle down with someone like Greg."

* * *

"I know it's really far, but it's completely worth it. Trust me." Nick assured the driver. "The further away from the city we move, the cheaper it gets. I know it's not ideal for work, but… wait until you see the place. It feels like the perfect place for us to live together. I'm excited to start decoratin' it and buyin' new furniture together. It feels like we've been lookin' for weeks, months even but I can't wait for you to see this place. It looks big, but it's really homely inside. It's like my dream house. You're supposed to wait until you find the man of your dreams before you buy your dream home, right?"

Greg couldn't help but laugh, looking at his adorable boyfriend in the passenger seat. "Did you have coffee today by any chance? You're so cute when you're hyper."

"I can't help it. I'm excited." The man grinned widely. "I hope you like it too."

"I'm excited because you're excited. Your excitement today is contagious." He followed the direction of the lady on his GPS called out, turning into a homely little neighbourhood that actually had kids playing in the streets. "Wow, those are tall palm trees. It's like Hollywood back here."

"Keep drivin' to the end. We're in the cul-de-sac at the top."

"A cul-de-sac? I'm surprised you didn't go for a gated community."

"Oh I looked." He smirked. "The house I liked there was way out of our price range, even if your Dad _did_ chip in. This place is still top notch. Low crime, a joggin' trail for me, plenty of kids parks, dog parks. There's a little school within walkin' distance from us and they've got a neighbourhood watch system in place."

"You know technically it's the money they saved up for my college fund." Greg reminded the man. "When I got the scholarship, it kinda just sat there gaining interest. My Dad wanted to give it to me when I got married or something, but when I told him we were buying a house together, he said it's mine if I wanted it."

"It still feels kind of awkward buyin' a house usin' your parent's money. I don't want them to think that I'm with you for the money."

Greg pulled his car up to the curb of the cul-de-sac, examining the very modern houses around them. He never exactly pictured himself living in a place like this, but he never exactly pictured having a boyfriend like Nick either.

"Wait, wait," The Texan leapt out of the car like an excited puppy, running around the front. He popped open the driver's side door for his partner, reaching his hand out to him. "Okay baby, close your eyes. C'mon, trust me." He grabbed the keys to lock up the car for him, before he stepped up behind his boyfriend, covering his hands over his eyes. "Okay, walk forward. Slowly."

Extending his hands out in front of him, Greg blindly followed his boyfriend's lead, putting his complete trust in him. "Did I mention I'm not big on surprises?"

"Who are you kiddin'? You love surprises." Nick chuckled, turning him in the direction of their new home. "Okay step up. That's it. Hold there one second." He reached in front of him to open the little gate to their front garden, letting it creak open. He quickly covered his hands over Greg's eyes again, leading him forwards to the front door. "Okay, wait for it."

"You're not walking me into a pool of acid or something, are you?"

"I'd never hurt a hair on your head, baby." Nick pecked a kiss to the side of his head, unlocking the door with the keys the realtor had let him borrow. He reached out for Greg's hand, carefully leading him inside. "Okay… open your eyes." He took a step back from him, letting him get a full view of the entrance to their house. "Well, what do you think? Don't judge it based on these colours. We'll paint over the roses and fill this place with our own furniture."

"Did an old lady die in here?" Greg cringed at the sight of the pale pink wallpaper with large roses randomly printed everywhere.

"Like I said, don't judge it based on these colours. There's a floral theme runnin' through the whole house, but we can paint over it." Grabbing the younger man's hand, Nick led him through to the kitchen, pointing out the utility room, before he turned his attention towards the kitchen counters. "It's all just been redone. The counters, the cupboards, the island, the oven is only two months old. Brand new fridge/freezer with ice maker too. You always said you wanted a big kitchen like this."

Greg took a step forwards, smoothing his hand across the black marble island in the middle of the beautiful kitchen. He opened the door to one of the pristine white cupboards, surprised the shelves inside were spotless of any dust.

"Did you see the floors?" Nick pointed his attention towards the ground. Black marble tiles with white flecks. No scuff marks, signs of wear and tear or evidence that anyone had even walked across them. "All brand new. The utility room is a bit bare, but we can easily pick up a washer and dryer of our own. There's room for an ironin' board in there, maybe even a dogs bed if you come around to the idea of gettin' one."

Greg opened the cupboard for the concealed dishwasher, giving his boyfriend a smile. "Okay, I admit. This is an amazing kitchen. But that out there is going to take more than a bit of paint." He pointed to the floral pattern creeping past the doorframe of the kitchen.

"I can do it. Don't worry your pretty little head. Come on, I'll show you the master bedroom." He grabbed the younger man's hand, leading him through the rather sickly peach hallway, covered with blue and pink tulips. Greg wished he had kept his eyes closed just a little longer, but then Nick led him into an all white bedroom with black borders, floor to ceiling windows across one wall with a view of their garden and a double door walk in closet.

Greg made his way over to the closet first, seeing individual compartments on either side for shoes, shirts, trousers and jewellery drawers. He pushed open the double doors on the either side, smiling at the sight of their master suite bathroom.

"Walk in shower, a tub big enough for two, his and his sinks, and the toilet of course." Nick rushed past him, clicking a switch beneath the mirror. A thin white light lit up all around the mirrors, reflecting off the black mermaid scale tiles on the other wall. "See, it's beautiful, right? This is my dream home, G. Plus it's all on one floor like you always wanted."

"I… love it." Greg stepped up to the vanity mirror, examining the tile a little closer.

"But?" His boyfriend joined his side, giving him a curious look. "I can strip out all the ugly wallpaper in one weekend. We can make our own mark on the place. I'm sure Warrick will even help out."

"I wouldn't count on it. He was pissed about that sandwich."

"Yeah, I should probably tell him that I'm datin' you before I ask for his help to decorate our place." He smirked, sliding his arm around the younger man's waist. "You haven't seen the fire place in the front room yet. And wait until you see our back yard. It's closed in away from pryin' eyes. No pool, but we've got a community centre right around the corner from us. Complete with gym and coffee shop."

Greg smiled at the man's attempts to sell him on the place. "Do we have a garage?"

"Yes, big enough for three cars. It's right next to the back door of the kitchen."

"And how many bedrooms does it have?"

"Well three technically, but only two for what I have planned. The guest bedroom is across the hall from ours. It has its own bathroom. I figured we could use it for your Mom's visits or maybe even my folks if they come around to the idea of us livin' together."

"Or if we ever have a kid." Greg gave him a smile, pulling away from the mirror. "What's the third bedroom for?"

Nick's excitement continued to burst. He grabbed both his boyfriend's hands, leading him out the other door of their bathroom. He skipped on ahead towards another mysterious door, leaving the younger man in suspense a moment, before he pushed it open. "This… this is the real surprise I wanted to show you. This… will be your office."

"_My_ office?" Greg stepped through the door, looking around the room. It had all white walls like their bedroom, but the floor was carpeted rather than wood tile. He made his way over to the window, looking out at the view of their enclosed space, complete with an outdoor grill and a seating area.

"You're always sayin' how much you've always wanted your own space. This is yours. I figure we could put your desk here by the window. Maybe a bookshelf over there. Along with a chair or a sofa for you to crash out on when you do your readin'."

"Nick, we can't possibly afford something like this."

"Yes, we can." The man stepped up behind him, slipping his arms around his waist. "It's in our budget and it has everythin' we want. This will be good for us. A new start for both of us."

"I wasn't aware we needed a new start."

Chuckling softly, Nick planted a kiss to his neck, whispering, "A new start as my husband. This will be our first place together. A fresh start for us." He gently swayed their bodies, breathing in the younger man's delicious scent. "So, what do you think of the place?" He playfully nibbled his earlobe.

Greg giggled softly, rolling his head back against his shoulder. "Well, I think I should see the other rooms before I say yes for sure. But I love it so far. Besides the ugly wallpaper, this place really isn't so bad."

"See, I told yah. There's still the dinin' room and family room to see. The ugly wallpaper continues, so you have to use your imagination a little." He warned him, taking his hand to lead the way. "There's one more surprise for you."

"Oh no, you didn't hide my mother in one of these closets, did you?" He pulled back a little, fearing she might pop out at him at a moment's notice.

"No." The man chuckled, leading him through to the front room. "This."

Greg stayed positioned in the doorway to the bright white front room, realising he had been deceived into thinking he would see more flowers. Unlike the other rooms, this one was furnished with a long L shaped black sofa against the wall. A glass coffee table with a mini cactus sat in a flower pot and a very large tinted black glass fireplace that served as a room divider to the dining room next door. He could see right through to the all white dining area, complete with a long black glass table and four black leather chairs.

It was totally modern, unique and utterly amazing. He was in awe.

"Surprise!" Nick chortled, pointing out the fireplace in case he hadn't noticed it. "The moment I saw this, I knew you would love it." He led Greg around the whole thing, adoring the look in his eyes as they stepped into the dining room on the other side. "The furniture doesn't come with, but we can easily recreate this. I thought we could have the livin' room on the other side. My plasma screen would fit better against that wall over there and we wouldn't get the glare of the windows."

Greg beamed a bright smile at the man, falling even deeper in love with him. "How is this even possible with a hallway like that out there?"

"Well, the realtor told me the guy fixin' up this place bought it off his ex mother in law. I guess she really liked flowers. He's an interior designer. He was plannin' on movin' in here with the new wife once the place was all fixed up, but she's got her heart set on somethin' bigger in the city."

"A man or a house?" Greg smirked, making his way to the fire place. The base of it came up to his knees with just enough room to sit down. The black marble was almost the same as the kitchen counters and the fire inside almost looked real. He tapped the glass surrounding it, turning to look at his future husband. "I want it. This is… amazing. I want it."

Nick gave him a smile, adoring the excitement in his voice. "The realtor should be here any minute. We can put our offer in then." He perched himself on the edge of the fireplace, tugging Greg down beside him. "Are you sure that this is what you really want?"

"Yes, I'm sure." He beamed a smile back to him. "You're right; we can easily strip out the ugly wallpaper and make it our own. I would love a sofa like that in _our_ front room. And my office overlooks the garden so I can watch you mow the lawn shirtless while I'm working." He shared the dream with him. "You realise now I'm gonna be seriously disappointed if we don't get this place."

"I'll get it for you. Whatever it takes." Nick assured him, leaning forwards to steal a kiss from his lips.

"Well," The realtor appeared at the door, smiling as the two of them broke their kiss. "That's a good sign. Hello, I'm Clare." She extended her hand towards him as he got up. "You must be, Greg. Nicky's told me a lot about you. He had his heart set on finding a dream home for you. I hope we've done it justice. So, what do you think?"

"I love it. I feel like I'm dreaming."

"We'll pay the askin' price." Nick added.

Greg bubbled with excitement. "How long until we can move in?"

Clare giggled softly, relieved to see a happy customer. "Well, if you're paying asking price the buyer will be very happy. I'll give him a call in just a moment. After that it's just a matter of waiting for escrow to close. Shall I give you the grand tour before we get down to the paperwork?" She tapped the file in her hands. "Did I mention that the buyer is also willing to sell the furniture set?" She pointed out the sofa.

"Seriously?" Greg jumped in excitement. "We'll take em." He glanced round at his future husband to make sure it was okay.

"Whatever you want, baby." He cracked a grin.

This really was the best time to be alive.

* * *

"I've found her!"

Jillian Stokes shook herself awake, taking a moment to clear the cobwebs from her eyes. She yawned as she rolled herself over, shielding her eyes from the harsh glare of the laptop monitor on her husband's lap. He wasn't much of an early morning riser these days, so she was a little surprised that he was even awake. "Bill, what are you doing?" She couldn't even see the time through her bleary eyes.

"I said I've found her." The Judge repeated himself. He was retired but he still had a little bit of influence in the police department. That and his daughter taught him how to use FaceBook to find old contacts. "Detective Norton couldn't find any criminal record based on the first name you could remember. Too many variables. We didn't know her surname, she could have married, divorced, changed her name, moved out of state… but I've found her." He turned the harsh glare towards his wife. "She only lives a couple of miles away from us. Look."

"Oh," Jillian covered her eyes. "Bill, it's too early in the morning for this. What are you even talking about?"

"The babysitter." This obsession of his was starting to get on her nerves. "That monstrous bitch who ruined our son's life. Look at her. This is her, right?"

"Bill, that woman has three children in that photo." Jillian struggled to sit herself up.

"That doesn't mean anythin'. You and I both know that people are capable of anythin'. Look at her. Tell me that's her."

"I… don't know." She insisted. "She doesn't even look old enough. She was in her early twenties back then. It's been nearly thirty years. How am I supposed to know what she looks like now?"

"Just look at her." Bill barked at his wife. "Look at her. It'll help jog your memory."

"Bill, just stop." Jillian threw back the covers, clambering out of bed. "This obsession of yours will be the death of you. Nicky said he didn't want to know where she is now. I don't think I even want to know. I feel like you're blaming me for this."

"I'm not blaming you. I just want you to look at her photo. It's not that hard to do."

"I looked. I told you, I don't know." She pulled on her dressing gown, tying it off at her waist. "I'm going to make some coffee. Gwen needs us to look after the children today. She's presenting her paper."

"What about this one?" Bill pulled up another random photo. "She's got to be the right age. There's something shifty about her eyes. Her profile picture looks more like a mug shot than anythin' else. Look."

"Bill," Jillian snipped. "Enough. I wish I never told you her frigging name. You're not going to find anything. You can't do anything to change what happened to Nicky either, so I don't know why you're even bothering. You're not supposed to get stressed with your heart. Do you really think we want to lose you over something as petty as this?"

"Petty?" He hissed. "This woman… this vile evil woman destroyed our son's life. How can you just sit there and do nothin'? This monster is still out there. Who knows how many lives she's destroyed since then."

"Because there is _nothing_ that I can do to change what happened, Bill. Do you have any idea how helpless that makes me feel? He's my boy. My youngest boy and I let that woman into our house and left him alone with her. It's my fault. All my fault." Jillian shook her head, biting back her tears. "That is something that I will have to live with for the rest of my life. I can't bear the thought of losing you to it too." She turned to walk away, hearing him tapping away at his keyboard again.

She blamed herself for this state he had gotten himself into. She couldn't help but blame Nick a little too.

"You know what Bill," She stormed back into the room. "You always thought that Nicky was like me, but he's exactly like you. You're both as selfish and stubborn as each other. Neither one of you give a second thought to what you put this family through. Haven't we already been through enough?"

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" He frowned at his wife.

"Nicky didn't tell us all of that for _our_ benefit. He told us what happened for his own selfish reasons. Honestly, why did we even need to know? We were fine _not_ knowing. He just wanted to dig in the knife and let us know how awful we were. That's exactly why he brought Greg with him when we asked him not to."

"Jilly…"

"Oh, don't Jilly me. I am so sick of the men in this family." She angrily shoved her feet into her slippers. "You're all selfish stubborn assholes. None of you give a second thought to anyone else."

"That's not fair." He set his laptop aside, attempting to make the situation better. "Jilly, that's not the reason why he told… wait… where are you goin'?" He furrowed his brows together as she stormed away.

"To walk the dogs."

"But I was talkin'." He called after her. He waited for a response, but all he heard was the back door slamming shut as she left. "What the hell did I do?"

* * *

Stretching his arms out either side of him as he woke up, Nick cleared the cobwebs from his eyes, smiling to himself as he saw his beautiful boyfriend's face just a few inches away from him. He leant forwards to press a kiss to his forehead, noting the time on the alarm clock behind him. "Shit, Greg wake up. We're gonna be late." He prodded his side. "We didn't set the alarm."

Greg rolled himself over onto his back, keeping his eyes closed as the older man scrambled out of bed. "Hey." He complained, feeling the covers being tugged away.

"Get up." Nick playfully slapped his exposed stomach.

"G-rr-h," The younger man groaned, yawning widely as he sat himself up. He watched Nick pulling on a pair of jeans, before he raced through to the bathroom next door. He spotted the stack of papers on the chair beside his bed, smiling as he remembered touring their dream home just a few hours ago. He sprang out of bed with a grin plastered across his lips, slipping in beside his boyfriend at his tiny sink counter. "Is it too soon to start packing?"

"Yeah," Nick chuckled, grabbing his toothbrush from the pot. "You could pack up this place and move in with me though."

"My place is closer to the lab. Why don't we pack up _your_ place and move in here?"

"Because your apartment is tiny. We're practically living on top of each other already." He playfully bounced his hips to Greg's, pushing him aside so he could get to the toothpaste. "Plus my place is on a mortgage. You just have to hand in your notice."

Greg grumbled softly, grabbing his toothbrush from the pot. "Most of your stuff is here anyway. I think I only have three pairs of underwear left at yours."

"Yeah and they're all dirty." He chuckled, letting Greg squeeze in beside him. "I think I still have a couple of your t-shirts in my dryer and your shower gel is still hangin' up in my shower." Nick stuffed his toothbrush into his mouth, giving his partner a smile as he started brushing. "Do you really not want to move in with me?"

"It's not that… it's just… fine." Greg agreed, sticking his own toothbrush in his mouth. He jabbed Nick in the hip, giggling as the older man poked him back. He brushed his teeth in record time, ditching it in the pot beside Nick's, before they shared a minty kiss. "I want to see the house again."

Nick chuckled softly, returning to the bedroom to find himself a clean shirt. "We've still got the home inspection and things to get through. It could take a while." He fished out his phone and wallet from the pair of jeans at the end of Greg's bed, noticing he had three missed calls from Warrick and two from his father. "Baby get a move on, we're gonna be so late at this rate."

"I'm coming. I'm coming. I was just peeing." Greg hurried back into the room, searching for some clothes in his wardrobe. He raced to the front door to find his keys, catching his boyfriend grinning at him. "What?"

"Your t-shirts on inside out there, boss."

Greg looked down at his t-shirt, giving out another groan. "I don't even care right now. You should probably drive though." He handed him the keys from his hand, while he took his t-shirt off to turn it the right way round. He seriously needed a caffeine fix, but he had to wait until they got to the lab to satisfy his craving.

He fell asleep in the car ride, groaning as Nick woke him up at the other end of their journey.

"C'mon, I'll get you some coffee while you sign us in." The older man grabbed his jacket, straightening out his collar as he climbed out of the car. He checked to make sure no one else was around the garage, still nervous about being seen together. "You comin', G?"

"Shoulda charged my phone. Stupid ninja fruit game." He realised the battery was dead, stuffing it into his back pocket. Greg followed the man towards the elevator, trying not to take it personally that he was walking at least ten paces in front of him and wouldn't let him catch up.

"Oh, Nick. Greg," Judy gave the two of them a nervous smile. "Hello. Oh Nick, Doctor Grissom said to report to autopsy as soon as you get in." She gave them another look as they signed themselves in.

"Okay, do I have something on my face?" Greg noted his co-workers giving them intense stares as they made their way into the lab. "It's like High school all over again."

"You're bein' paranoid." Nick whispered softly, backing away from the younger man. "I'll see you for lunch later." He made his way straight down to autopsy, completely oblivious to the looks people were giving him.

"Greg!" Sara hissed his name, motioning for him to join her with a not so subtle hand gesture.

Turning away from the looks and whispers of his colleagues, Greg made a beeline for the locker room, letting the door close behind him. "Okay, so what's going on?" He gave her a confused look, wondering if he was still dreaming.

"We really need to talk. I um… I heard something." After a quick check of the locker room to make sure they were alone, Sara rejoined the younger man by the benches. "Okay, if I'm completely off base here… feel free to stop me."

"Oh my God, you love me!"

"What?" Confusion spread across the woman's features.

"It took you long enough to finally notice me, but I want you to know that I…"

"No, Greg. That's not it."

"Really? You mean you don't love me."

Sara frowned at the joker. "You know I didn't mean it like that. Would you stop with the jokes? I'm trying to be serious here." Sitting herself on the bench in the middle of the room, Sara gave out a soft sigh, trying to find the words to explain it to him.

"Okay… now you're freaking me out." He dropped to the bench beside her. "Why am I getting the third degree out there?"

"Well… there's… I don't know how to say this."

"Sara." Greg glared at her. "What's going on?"

"There's a rumour going around," Sara shot up from the bench, anxiously running her fingers through her hair. "You know me; I don't listen to idle gossip. I never really take anything Hodges or Mandy say seriously. They're the lab gossips after all; you'd be a fool to listen to them. But this one," She huffed, looking round at her pseudo brother. "It's about you… and Nick. I heard that he kissed you in a steak house."

Greg bit his tongue, trying to play dumb. "Seriously?" He snorted out a laugh. "Sara, that's ridiculous."

"Is it?" She returned to her seat in front of him. "Greg, you told me not three weeks ago that you were dating a guy who really cares about you. Then Nick and you both take time off around thanksgiving and neither of you can get your stories straight about where you went. Call me crazy but I'd say that's evidence enough…"

"Shit." Greg groaned, starting to wish he had just stayed in bed. "Who told you?"

"Mandy… wait, it's true?"

"Yes." He could already sense Nick's panic attack as he confirmed the rumour. "Honestly, I'm surprised that it took you lot this long to figure it out. You're trained to notice stuff, but you didn't notice us right under your noses. We haven't exactly been subtle this past last year."

"Year?" She squeaked, slightly confused. "Wait, how long have you two been dating exactly?"

"Uh… nearly two years now." He felt his cheeks flushing red. "We started dating just after his abduction. I've always kinda had feelings for him in one way or another. He started returning those feelings in his vulnerable state. I thought he just needed a friend to be there for him during the difficult time, but he really cares about me. He came out to his family for me. He introduced me to his parents. He proposed to me and he found our dream home. I love him, Sara."

Smiling at the love struck teen, Sara realised it was more serious than just a kiss. "Wow, Greg. When I heard… I thought it was a mistake or someone had twisted the truth… but you really are together."

"We are." He beamed a smile back at her. He ran his hands across his jeans, realising the implications of this getting out. "Mandy told you?" He turned more serious. "How many people did she tell exactly?"

"You know what Mandy is like." She gritted her teeth together. "The whole lab will know by the end of shift." She confirmed his fears.

"Shit." He dropped his head into his hands. He pushed himself to his feet, feeling knots in his stomach already. "I have to go find, Nick. He's gonna freak out over this. Hey, does Grissom know yet?"

"How would I know?" She turned defensive.

Greg gave her a knowing smile, bumping into the very man in the doorway. "Oh, hi Grissom."

"You're late." Grissom pulled back his sleeve to check the time on his watch. "You're supposed to be in court today."

"Doh." Greg hit himself in the forehead, racing for the door. "I completely forgot about that."

"Greg, you'll need a suit." The man motioned towards his tatty jeans, shaking his head as the man hurried away. He turned his attention towards Sara. "I've just sent Warrick and Nick to our second scene."

"Another attack?" Sara climbed to her feet.

"Yes, it looks like someone is on a crime spree. Both victims had their wallets and their cell phones stolen and they were both beaten in the same way. We have to catch these guys before they strike again. I need you to go to the hospital. Our second victim, Jessica is on her way there now. Catherine's still working the first scene. If we get anymore like this, we won't be able to cope."

Sara tentatively touched the man's hand, giving him a smile. "We'll get through it."

"Oh, hey, I…" Greg appeared in the doorway, gritting his teeth together as he motioned to his car keys on the bench. "Forgot my keys." He smiled as the two of them quickly separated. "If my head wasn't screwed on, right?"

"Get out of here, Greg." Grissom barked at him, waiting for him to leave. He felt his cheeks flushing, hoping Greg hadn't seen anything incriminating. "Do you think he saw us?"

Sara shook her head, knowing he'd freak out if anyone found out about them. "I think he was a little preoccupied. I'll see you for dinner tonight."

"I'm cooking, right?"

Sara returned a warm smile. "Wouldn't miss it."

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed it.**

**Please let me know what you thought.**

**Enjoy the rest of your week!**

**~ Holly**


	4. Chapter 4 - Misfortune

**Chapter Four – Misfortune**

After a successful day in court, Greg proudly strutted through the lab halls, completely forgetting about the rumours being spread around by their local lab gossip. He approached the DNA lab as he saw Floyd in a fluster, feeling as though he could take on the whole world right about now. "Hey, what's going on in here?"

"Oh, Mr Sanders. I mean, Greg… nothin," The word caught in the fumbling young man's throat. He dropped the file from his hands, stuffing his hands on his hips. "I guess I'm just freaking out a little. I've got a huge backlog from day shift, but Grissom wants me working the beatings as a priority."

"Don't worry about, Ecklie." Feeling as though he could take on the whole world right now, Greg assured him, "I'll deal with the backlash. There's a gang of thugs out there attacking random people on the streets. I think he'd agree that this takes priority over the old lady who locked her husband in the freezer after he died so she could keep cashing in his cheques."

"Yeah," Grateful for the help, Floyd gave out a sigh of relief. "You're right." He bent to gather the file he had dropped, finally realising what the other man was wearing. "Hey, what's with the suit, Mr Sanders?"

"Oh, I was just in court." Greg dusted down his suit jacket, excited for Nick to see him wearing it. He hoped they could wear something similar for their wedding day, but he would have to make sure Nick liked it first. "Today was my first jury trial. We freaking buried the guy. It was bad ass. I dropped the hammer. He was squirming in his seat. The prosecutor was so happy, she took me to dinner."

"Nice one." Floyd raised his hand, giving it a little wiggle.

"Thanks." Greg smiled back, before he returned the high five. "And Floyd, call me Greg. No one calls me, Mr Sanders." He warned him again. "You know I'm not that much older than you. I was right here in the lab where you are not that long ago."

"Right… sorry, Greg." He nervously bit his lower lip. "It's just that… I really… I think you're…"

"Greg," Grissom poked his head into the lab, holding a huge stack of files in his hands. He watched the younger man in the lab coat quickly backing away, before he cast his eyes towards Greg. "I'm glad you're back. I heard what happened. Congratulations." He gave him a half smile. "Now lose the monkey suit, you've got a scene to process. Liquor store robbery. Here's the address." He dug out the assignment slip from between his files. "Detective Curtis is on scene waiting for you. Take a Denali, not your death trap."

"Uh… okay, but I'm lab bound." He reminded him. "Ecklie has me…"

"I don't care what Ecklie says. You're still on my team and we're short staffed. I need you out in the field." Grissom shoved the assignment slip into his hand. "Detective Curtis is waiting for you. She's already got a statement from the owner of the liquor store." He turned for the door, eager to solve this case before someone else was attacked.

"Alright," Greg waved to the young lab tech, hurrying out the door after his boss. "Gris, is this related to the earlier 415s? I uh, overheard it on the radio." He confessed. "Relax; I'm not turning into some work junkie. You've already got Sara for that. I just wanted to know what was going on."

"It could be. Nothing is certain yet." The man shuffled through his files, making his way towards his office. "Sofia's got one of the suspect's sweaters. Store owner claimed there were at least ten suspects, all hooded. He said their faces were covered with Halloween masks."

"Masks?" Greg queried. "Halloween's over."

"Not for these guys. They're either using them to conceal their identity or it's all just a game to them. Hopefully this means they've got a few priors under their belt. Our store owner grabbed one of them on the way out, tore their hoodie off. I need you to seal it and bring it back here along with anything else you can find in the store. Make sure you check the surrounding area too."

"Alright," Greg double checked the address in his hands. "Who's my wingman?"

"You're a big boy, Greg." Grissom elbowed the door to his office open. "You don't need a wingman for this." He flashed him a smile, letting the door close behind him. He had a speech to prepare for his press conference later. He was hoping that Brass would do it, but Ecklie was rather insistent that he needed to do it.

"Primary. Cool." Greg smiled to himself, clicking his heels together as he hurried for the locker room. He carefully hung his suit up on a coat hanger, making sure it didn't get any creases as he hung it inside his locker. He made sure to turn his phone back on before he left the room, smiling at the sight of the message from his boyfriend wishing him luck for court.

After today, he felt like the luckiest man on earth.

* * *

With his kit in his hand, Warrick sucked in a sharp breath, joining his former best friend's side at their scene. He really didn't want to talk about what he saw earlier, but on the other hand, he really needed to know. They had to work beside each other every day. He couldn't work beside him worrying about all the secrets he was keeping from him.

Catherine was right; he needed to talk to him.

"Hey."

"Hi." Nick responded.

All his courage instantly drained.

Warrick cleared his throat, focusing on the scene in front of them instead. Screw Catherine, she didn't know what she was talking about. Guys didn't talk about stuff like this. They bottled it and ignored it.

"I don't see a bar anywhere around here. Our vic must've been either going to or coming from the strip." He focused on the case.

Nick glanced around the dank and dark alleyway they were stood in. "But she shouldn't have been walkin' around here. Couldn't pick a shadier part of town, man."

Warrick cracked a slight grin. "You know these tourists don't know what they're getting when they book a trip to Vegas online." He knelt down, examining the blood splatter on the ground. "They think 'I got a room on the strip for seventy five bucks. Whoo, what a deal'."

"Then they mosey through the naked city with their thousand dollar cameras." The Texan knelt down to the ground, snapping a picture of their victim's smashed up camera on the ground. "Next thing you know, we're takin' their picture."

Warrick opened his kit, snapping on some gloves to get to work. He figured they would have plenty of time to talk about what he saw later. For now, he wanted to focus on the case and get these thugs behind bars.

* * *

Checking the address Grissom had given him, Greg took the turning for the liquor store, driving through a dimly lit street that resembled the start of an apocalypse. He slowed the car as he heard glass breaking, pulling to a full stop at the end of a long dark alleyway. He leaned over the wheel to get a close look, reaching for his radio as he spotted the crowd of people in hoodies, swarming a man on the ground.

"Control, control, this is CSI Sanders. I need some help."

The radio crackled to life. _"Control, go with your information."_

"Okay, I got an assault in progress. One alley south of Casino central drive," He looked around for any signs. He relayed the directions to the woman, waiting for her to respond.

_"How many suspects involved?"_

"Multiple suspects. Could be the guys who've been doing it all night."

After a beat, the female operator answered, _"The closest unit has a five minute ETA. Rolling code three. Are they armed?"_

Greg watched the group kicking the man on the ground, refusing to give up. "I don't know. I don't know. Ma'am, please listen. You got to get here quicker than this."

_"Copy that. We'll roll two additional units ASAP. Wait for backup."_

Greg felt his heart racing in his chest. How could he possibly sit there and watch a man being beaten to death? He was screaming for help, desperately trying to crawl away but the monsters had him pinned.

He wouldn't survive much longer.

Going against his better judgement, Greg put the Denali in drive, turning for the alley. He drove towards them slowly, honking his horn and flashing his lights to disrupt them from their brutal beating. He hammered his fist against the horn as they refused to budge, yelling, "Move! Get out of here!" He flipped the siren as a last ditch attempt, watching them dispersing down the hidden alleys.

One attacker remained, turning to face the approaching vehicle.

Greg gulped hard, wondering what else he could possibly do. He felt a tremble running down his spine from their intense stare. It was like a classic scene from a horror movie, only this time he wanted to stop watching and hide under the covers.

The attacker turned away from him, kicking the victim in the side as though Greg wasn't even there.

At this distance, Greg could see the blood pooling around the victim. He couldn't crawl away anymore and there appeared to be glass sticking out of his arm. The attacker turned away from the lifeless victim, his eyes glowing eerily, unnaturally in the shine of the car headlights.

Greg remained still.

He had to be dreaming. This couldn't be real.

The suspect ran to the side of the alley, picking up a large rock. He made a motion as if to bash in the victim's head with it, deciding to run for Greg in the truck instead.

Greg hit the gas.

The truck lunged forward, striking down the hooded monster.

"Shit." Greg gasped for breath, his heart racing in his throat. He anxiously licked his lips, feeling his hands shaking against the wheel. What had he done? He couldn't even feel his feet, but somehow he had made the decision to run a man down. He tried leaning forwards to look for him. His CSI brain was already calculating the possible implications and injuries the man had suffered from his split second decision. He couldn't see him. He couldn't hear any movement.

Was it even safe for him to go check?

The window in the back of the Denali suddenly smashed open.

Greg spun round to see what was going on, another window smashing to pieces as something was thrown into his truck. He reached a hand out for his radio, glass shattering over his lap as the driver's side window caved in on him. He was pulled from the truck by the window, receiving a kick to the stomach. Another fist collided with the side of his head, sending him crashing into a chain link fence. He could taste blood in his mouth, his ribs breaking and the sounds of laughter filling his rattling ear drums.

Pain trembled through every inch of his battered form with no signs of stopping.

This wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare.

* * *

"Excuse me, excuse me…" Sara desperately pushed her way through the crowd of on lookers, showing her ID to the deputy trying to hold them back. She couldn't believe it when Grissom gave her the news. She still didn't believe it. How could one of their own been involved in these attacks?

The deputy lifted the tape to let her through, pointing her towards the Detective trying to get statements from the first witnesses.

"Demetrius!" A woman shouted. The deputy holding her back tried to console her, but she was clearly a distraught mother. "Please let me see my son. Demetrius! I just want to talk to him. He's my baby boy. Please." She begged them. "I just want to see him."

"I'm sorry, Ms James." Sofia softly shook her head. "It's a crime scene. I can't let you pass. Please, just let them do their jobs."

"Please." She cried, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Your son is being attended to. I promise. Sara, hey." Sofia caught sight of her, ushering her through.

Sara's breath caught in her throat. A middle aged man was being loaded onto a gurney by paramedics. The man in the hoodie she could only guess was Demetrius James was being attended to by paramedics, but Greg was lying by himself in the middle of the carnage.

"Why… why isn't there a medic on Greg?"

"He's been stabilised already. Sara, he's going to be okay." Sofia tried to assure her. "There's another ambulance on the way. Stanley Tanner took priority." She pointed out the victim on the gurney. "He's alive because of Greg." She gave the woman a slight smile, before she returned to Ms James.

Breathing in a deep breath, Sara crossed the alleyway, lowering herself to Greg's side. He was covered in blood. His face was a swollen bloody mess. She couldn't even tell if he was breathing, until one of his eyes attempted to open. She could only tell because his long lashes were twitching.

Sara gently placed her hand on his head, lightly stroking her fingers through his hair to offer what little comfort she could in a situation like this.

"Sara." He croaked.

"Greg… I-I didn't think you could see me."

"I can't…" He sucked in a breath through his swollen jaw. "But I know that Sidle scent."

Sara cracked a grin, wondering how he always managed to put a smile on her face. "I'm going to take that as a compliment." She glanced up to watch the deputy desperately trying to hold back Ms James. She sniffled back her own tears, turning her attention back to Greg. "I uh… I didn't get a chance to call Nick yet…"

"Don't." He choked, breathing in a raspy breath. "He'll only worry."

"It's his job to worry about you, Greg. He loves you."

"Don't." He spoke softly, raising his hand from his side. "I scratched one of them." He presented her with his fingernails.

The woman took his hand, careful not to contaminate the evidence.

"And you should check my vest. I think the same guy s-spit on me." He breathed in a raspy breath through his aching jaw. "One of their cars crashed into the Denali. I guarantee there's transfer on it. You should process the scene now. Me later."

Sara brushed away a tear threatening to spill with her other hand, giving him a smile. "I came here for you, Greg. I'm _only_ here for you." She returned to gently stroking her fingers through his hair, waiting for his ambulance to arrive. She rode with him to the hospital, unable to stop her tears from flowing as she watched one of the Day Shift CSIs processing him as evidence before they could even tend to his wounds.

Mostly at Greg's insistence to preserve any evidence from the suspects.

"Sara," A familiar face weaved through the busy waiting room, making his way towards her. He took her hands into his own, looking at the smudges of makeup beneath her eyes. "Honey, I came as soon as I could. I've assigned Warrick and Nick to the scene."

"Oh… no, you can't." She feared Nick's reaction to such a horrible sight. "He can't… he won't be able to…" Her once bottled tears started to flow once again, thankful that her significant other was here this time to hold her in his arms. "I'm not sure I can do this anymore, Gil."

"We'll find who did this." He assured her.

Sara shook her head, pulling back from the man. "No, I'm not sure I can deal with _any_ of this anymore. After Nick… I… I can't see another one of my friends go through something like this. What if the next one is a body? I just can't do it anymore, Gil." She pulled away from him before he could talk her down, making a run for the nearest exit.

"Sara…"

"Gil, you're here." Ecklie gave the man a curious look. "I uh… I came as soon as I heard. I'm putting as many of my guys as I can spare on this case. We'll find these thugs. Have you been in to see Sanders yet?"

"Yes," Grissom turned to face his colleague rather than waiting for Sara to return. "I wasn't allowed to stay though. They had to do a procedure on his eye to save his sight."

"I understand you've sent Nick and Warrick to process his scene."

"Yes." Grissom sensed an argument coming. "They were already in the area. They're professionals, Conrad."

"There's a conflict of interest on this case and you know it, Gil. Do you want this case to go to trial?"

"They're not involved in the case. There's no conflict of interest. My guys are going to work their hardest to get whoever is doing this. Shouldn't that be the priority here?" Grissom elbowed him out of the way as he pushed past him, eager to check on Sara. He didn't like the way she was talking and didn't fancy busting her out of another drink driving charge.

* * *

Kneeling down beside the Denali, Nick bit back his tears, trying to focus on the job rather than worrying about his boyfriend. He carefully scraped off the red paint transfer from the side of the truck, noticing glass with smears of blood on them at his feet. He couldn't do this. He needed to see Greg.

"So what, did somebody else get a beat down?" A kid in a baseball cap yelled, making the anger boil to the Texan's surface. "You bitches haven't caught them cats yet?"

"Excuse me?" He spun to glare at the little punk.

Sensing the anger in his voice, Warrick stepped forwards, motioning for them to step back. "Hey, you fellas want to keep it moving? We're trying to work here."

"You call that working?" Another kid cracked up. "Why is there an ass whupping on every other block?"

Nick lunged to his feet, storming past his partner to get to the little punks mouthing off. "There's about to be an ass whuppin' on this block." He threatened him.

"Is that right?" The kid challenged him. He looked as though he was barely fourteen years old. He had a mouth full of hardwire and a pimple ready to explode on his chin. Nick had nephews the same age as him.

"That's right." He moved closer.

"Hey," Warrick caught his buddy's arm. "Nick, c'mon man. Cool it."

"Man, you're weak." The older kid in the baseball cap laughed. "Weak, weak, weak."

"Officer." Warrick called the deputy over before the Texan blew his top. "Clear these kids out of here."

"Move it." The officer grabbed the younger kid, pushing him up against the wall to search him.

"Hey, you can't do this." The young teen protested. "I'll say what I want."

"Get out of here." The officer pushed him through the crowd, following him to make sure he actually left.

His buddy in the baseball cap laughed, holding up his hands in a surrender pose. "I'm sorry. You're not weak." He grinned as Nick approached him.

"Nick." Warrick shot him a warning. "Nick."

Leaning forwards, the kid looked Nick in the eye, smirking, "You're a joke."

As his friend turned to face him, Warrick shook his head, hoping he would just walk away.

Nick spun, punching the punk in the stomach.

"Nick." Warrick lunged forwards, grabbing the man in an arm lock. He shoved him away from the angry crowd, rolling his eyes as the officers quickly gathered to stop the crowd from rallying together.

"Anybody get that on video?" The punk pulled out his phone. "Man, I'll take a picture myself."

Warrick quickly snatched the phone from his hands, taking a quick look. "That's a nice phone you got there, man. A real nice phone. Wonder how many drug dealers' numbers you got squared away in this thing." He ducked under the tape, eyeing up the young punk. "Feel like going to jail tonight? Listen, I'm sorry about the little spill you had earlier, but that's why we got the crime tape up, so you could see it. Watch where you're going next time." With the phone in his hand, he pushed it into the punk's chest. "Get out of here. Go on."

He watched him walking away, ducking back under the tape to join his colleague.

"What the hell are you doing, man?" He snapped at the angry Texan. "We beating people up now?"

"I'm sick of these punks, man." Nick anxiously paced back and forth. "I'm serious, I'm sick of it."

"Then you're in the wrong town."

"Yeah. Maybe." Nick took off, dropping to the back of their own Denali as his heart started to race. He dropped his head into his shaky hands, his breathing whistling through his throat. He tried the breathing techniques his shrink had given him, but he could feel the walls closing in on him.

He had an overwhelming feeling of being trapped.

"Look, Nick." Warrick joined his side, anxiously scratching his head. "I know that being here isn't easy. It's not easy for me either. This is Greg and I know that you… I know about… but you can't go around punching people, man. Even if they do deserve it." He took another step closer, noticing the trembles in his legs as he panted for breath. His breathing became whistled through his tightening throat. "Nick? Nick." He dropped to his knees in front of him, pulling his hands away from his head. "What's wrong?"

"I can't… I-I…"

"Alright, aright," Warrick caught on. "It's a panic attack. You've gotta calm down."

"Can't…" Nick tugged at his shirt collar. "I can't…"

"Yes you can." He supported his best friend. "Deep breaths."

Nick's breathing became more rapid.

"Nothings gonna happen to you, man." Warrick tried to assure him. "I'm here. Just breathe."

Nick shook his head.

"Nicky, breathe." He took in a deep breath of his own. He couldn't remember all the training from the first aid class he took, but he recalled a few things. "C'mon, slowly… in through your nose… out through your mouth… slow, Nick." He breathed with him. "You'll be okay. It's just a panic attack."

As his vision began to return, Nick wiped his hands across his cheeks, brushing away his tears.

"Ya'ight?" Warrick gave him a curious look. "Are you still with me?"

"I can't… I can't do this."

"I know, man. I know." Warrick spoke softly, straightening up. "I uh… I know about you and Greg." He watched the blood draining from his face. "Yeah, I… I saw you the other day. You kissed him, Nick. The way that you look at him… it's obvious. I don't know why I didn't see it before." He gave him a half smile. "Hey, it's okay… seriously, I don't care who you love, Nick." He stopped him from relapsing into another panic attack. "Breathe… I don't want you passing out on me."

Nick clutched at his chest. His heart felt as though it was about to explode.

"You shouldn't be here, Nicky." Warrick spoke softly. "You can't process Greg's scene. I'll get one of the deputies to drive you to the hospital. I can finish up here. Take a minute. I'll get you some water."

"I-I wanted to tell you." Nick finally found his voice to speak.

"But you didn't." Warrick backed away from him, wondering if they could still be friends after this. He didn't know if he could trust him again, but he wasn't about to leave him on his own.

* * *

"It's… good to see you awake." Graveyard shift supervisor, Gil Grissom anxiously watched over the youngest member of his team from the foot of his hospital bed. He watched him breathing in a raspy deep breath through his swollen lips. His eyes still swollen shut with bright purple puffy bruises, but the doctor's assured him that it was no longer crushing his eye. He would gladly trade places with him, but he knew that wasn't possible. "Greg… I'm really…"

"Sorry?" Greg choked out, managing the slightest smile. "I went down that alley."

"Yes… you did." Grissom smiled proudly. "And you saved a man's life. I stopped by to see him first. He can't stop singing your praises. He told me to find the man who saved him and give him a big thank you." He winced watching Greg uncomfortably shifting himself beneath the covers. "Has someone called your parents? We should call and let them know what happened."

"Mmph." Greg grumbled.

"What's the matter?"

"No, nothing it's just…" Relaxing back against his pillow, Greg could already hear his mother's voice in his head, giving him a lecture on the dangers of the world. He figured she'd bring out the 'I told you so' speech after this. "My parents… they still think I'm in the lab."

Grissom gave him a confused look. "Why do they think that?"

"Maybe because I never told them I made it to field CSI." He spoke softly, letting his one good eye close. "When I was in high school, I never played any sports. No football, no basketball. Definitely no hockey."

"I never would've guessed." His supervisor smirked.

"Well, it wasn't by choice." He assured him. "My parents had me young. They had been dating since they were fourteen. I came along when they were eighteen. My Mom always wanted four kids. It was all she ever talked about. She had miscarriages, still births, expensive procedures… but she only had one." Breathing in a deep breath through his clenched teeth, Greg revealed, "She's always been overprotective of me. She always made sure I stayed close. If I got a nosebleed, she'd take me to the ER. I never broke a bone or had anything life threatening, but she worried that she might lose me too."

"Well, now would be the time to come clean."

"My Mom's gonna freak." Greg felt a tear rolling down his cheek.

"You tell her that you risked your life to save someone else's and I think she'll be very proud of you." Grissom assured him, looking round as the door opened beside him. "Nick?" He gave the man a curious look. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears. "What are you doing here?"

"I uh… I wanted to see, Greg."

"Gil," Sara ushered the man out into the hallway, giving Nick a reassuring smile. "Give them a minute."

Stuffing his shaky hands into his pockets, Nick watched them leaving the room, not entirely sure how he felt about everyone knowing about them. He let the door close behind them, adjusting the blinds to Greg's room to give them some privacy, before he approached his side. He bit his trembling bottom lip to keep back his tears, feeling his heart aching at the sight of his beautiful bruised face.

"C'mere," Greg reached out his good arm to the man, bracing himself for the man to hug him. He was as gentle as possible, but the pressure against his chest still hurt like a ton of bricks falling on him. "Ow," He flinched, holding him closer. "No… don't let go yet."

"If I'm hurtin' you…"

"You're not the one hurting me, Nicky." He breathed in his familiar scent. "Mm, you smell so good. I guess you'll have to find a new model now."

"What?" Nick frowned at him as he pulled back.

"Look at me, Nick. You can't walk down the aisle next to this. It'll be like Frankenstein's bride." He cracked a smile, just able to see a slight grin bursting across Nick's lips. "There's that smile." He let his own smile fade, feeling an ache in his jaw. "Ow… that sucks."

"I guess it would be a dumb question to ask if you're okay."

"Yeah." Greg tried not to smile to avoid the pain. "Nicky, I need you to call my parents."

The colour drained from Nick's face. "You want _me_ to break the news to your parents. I'm havin' a friggin' panic attack just thinkin' about it, G."

"I know. I'm sorry. But my Mom trusts you. She loves you. Please, Nicky." He uncomfortably adjusted himself against the bed. "If someone else calls her she'll freak out."

"I will. I'll call." He tried to find a patch of skin that wasn't bruised, pressing a kiss to top of the younger man's head instead. "Get some sleep, baby."

* * *

"Nick and Greg?" Grissom caught sight of them through a gap in the blinds.

"You didn't hear?" Sara pulled him away to give them some privacy. "It's all the lab is gossiping about at the moment. Don't make a big thing of it."

"That's breaking lab rules."

"You're one to talk." She gave her significant other a smile. "You're still my supervisor. Their relationship is hardly going to mess up the politics of the lab."

"I'm pretty sure the ladies of the lab would disagree with you on that one." Grissom turned as the door to Greg's room opened, spotting Nick rather awkwardly making his way out into the hall. "We need you back at the lab if you're all done here." He figured acting natural was the best course of action. "Catherine's got a lead on one of our suspects."

"Great, thanks." Nick brushed past them, making his way towards the stairs.

"Nick." Sara called after him, joining him in the stairwell. "Are you okay?" She put her hand on his shoulder. "I am here if you need to talk. Maybe you should take the rest of the shift off?"

"I can't." He shook his head. "Not while he's in here. I have to find them." Nick pulled away from her, racing down the stairs. He sniffled back his tears, holding them at bay until he caught the people responsible for hurting the man he adored.

* * *

"Floyd?" Grissom spotted their new lab tech making his way towards them. Sara turned to watch the man, seeing the tears in his eyes. He was clutching a brown paper bag tightly in his arms, filled to the brim with grapes. "What are you doing here?"

"I uh… I came to see, Mr Sanders… I mean, Greg." He corrected himself. "Is he…?"

"He's resting." Sara answered, seeing a look of relief washing over him.

"We need you back at the lab, Floyd." Grissom insisted. "You can't skip out in the middle of an important case."

"I had a break. Wendy said she'd cover for me." Floyd shoved the bag in their direction. "Can you make sure he gets these? And let him know that I stopped by." He tried to look over their shoulders, trying to catch a glimpse of the object of his affection, but he couldn't see anything through the closed blinds. "I uh… I should go."

Sara watched the younger man walking away with a smile. She picked off one of the grapes from the cluster in her partner's hands, seeing the confusion in his eyes. "What's wrong?" She popped the grape into her mouth.

"Greg," Putting his back to the wall, the man sighed with confusion. "I never thought he was this popular. He always used to joke about getting dates and participating in threesomes or something. I never thought he was serious. I just thought he was a nerdy virgin who only wished he got as many dates as he bragged about."

Sara giggled softly. "Don't tell me you're jealous."

"Of Greg," He turned up his nose. "Not in the slightest. At least now he has the attention of two men, he might stop pining after my girlfriend." Grissom made room for Sara to lean against the same wall, letting her grab another grape from the bag in his hands.

After making sure the coast was clear, Grissom rested their heads together, relieved she decided to stick around. He didn't know what he would do without her on a day like today.

* * *

"Hands up. C'mon," Sofia ordered the last suspect as he clambered out of his car. "You're going to jail."

"Free shower, free food, free sleep." The teen in the pig mask grunted at Detective Curtis.

Nick pushed his way through the officers, tucking his gun away. "Let me in there." He knocked the pig mask off the kids head, seeing the face of the punk he punched in the stomach at his earlier crime scene. "Looks like someone's gonna get a beat down after all." He wanted to punch him again so badly, but he let the officers take him away.

He snorted like a pig all the way to the back of Brass' car, giving Nick a smug smile.

"He'll get what's coming to him." Warrick joined his side, relieved to see a more calm and collected Nick. "C'mon, let's grab some food and head up the hospital to see, Greg. He's probably sick of hospital food by now."

"Not yet." Nick pulled his cell from his pocket. "I have to call his Mom."

"Hey, ya'ight, man?" Warrick clapped him over the shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah." He gave him a smile. "Thanks."

Leaving the flashing lights and protesting punks behind him, Nick hit his speed dial for 'Mrs S', feeling his tears starting to flow already. _"Hello, love. Please don't tell me that my son put you up to calling me to cancel on Christmas."_ The woman giggled into her phone, pausing as she didn't hear a voice. _"Nick, did you butt dial me?"_

Nick cracked a grin, wiping away his tears with his free hand. "No Mrs S, I called you… uh… you might want to sit down for this."

_"Uh oh, this sounds serious."_ Mrs Sanders left her kitchen behind her, sitting herself down on the staircase. _"Alright, I'm parked. Please don't tell me you're breaking up with my son. Whatever he's done, I'm sure you can work through it. I'll clip that little snot round the ear if he's done something to make you…"_

"I love your son." He assured her, breathing in a deep breath to build up his courage. "Mrs S, Greg… Greg risked his life today to save someone's life. There was this group of kids beatin' up tourists in the city," Nick sat himself on the hood of a police car to explain the whole story to her. He made her proud of her son for his bravery, before he let her know the extent of his injuries.

_"Oh that stupid… big hero,"_ The woman cried into her phone. _"Why didn't he tell me he became a field CSI? Am I really that horrible to talk to?"_

"I think he was worried that you would worry. He wanted to protect you, Mrs S."

_"Flaming hell, that boy. I could ring his neck."_

Nick chuckled softly, wiping away his own tears. "I'm goin' up the hospital to see him now. I'll send him your love."

_"Okay, love. Listen as soon as his father's back from work, we'll be driving up your way. Greg's a difficult patient with a case of the sniffles. He'll be a nightmare with all this."_

"Thank you, Mrs S." He gave out a soft sigh of relief as he hung up, giving Warrick a nod to assure him that he was okay. He climbed into the passenger seat of the Denali Warrick was driving, eager to get back to the hospital to see his boyfriend. He wasn't even worried about who knew anymore. He just wanted the man he loved back in his arms.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed reading it. (As much as one can enjoy one of their favourite characters being beaten to a pulp anyway). This is of course based on the episode 'Fannysmackin' from Season 7 Episode 4. One of my all time favourite episodes.**

**Please let me know what you thought.**

**~ Holly**


	5. Chapter 5 - Making Amends

**Chapter Five – Making Amends**

"I've called us a taxi." Lowering herself to the bench beside her husband, Jillian clutched the freshly brewed coffee tightly between her hands, wishing he would say something to her. Lately he had been giving her an icy stare when they were in the same room and he barely said more than two words to her when they weren't entertaining company or playing nice around the children. "I tried to call Nicky again… there was still no answer. He's either at the lab working or still with that woman talking his ears off. Did you know they're all staying over Nick's place for the duration of their visit? It's hardly appropriate. Nick's put us up in a hotel since they were there first."

Ignoring her complaints, Bill folded away the newspaper he had been looking through, setting it down on top of his bag.

"I know they're Greg's parents and he's injured so he needs them there, but why are they staying at our Nicky's? They sound like a bunch of freeloaders. Next thing you know, Mrs Sanders will probably want a sit down dinner with us. Honestly the nerve of that woman." Taking a sip of her coffee, Jillian noted the expression on her husband's face. "Bill, don't you think it's time that we move on from this? With everything that happened to Greg, this should be the last thing on our minds. We're supposed to be here for Nick… after what happened to Greg."

Pushing himself to his feet, Bill stretched out his arms, feeling a cramp in his spine after their long flight to Las Vegas. It wasn't his idea to fly all the way out here. He would rather be knee deep in a muddy lake, fishing for tonight's dinner. He was practically forced onto the plane by his wife after she found out that the Sanders clan were staying at their son's house. He didn't see it as that big of a deal, but she hadn't stopped ranting about it since they left the driveway of their ranch.

"Bill." Jillian snipped at him. "Would you please just talk to me for a moment? Do you really want the Sanders' to see us like this?"

"We're not seein' the Sanders'." The angry man reminded her.

"He speaks." She remarked.

"Don't start." The Judge shot her a look. "Do you really think we should just forget it ever happened and move on? Do you think Nick has been able to do that?" He finally engaged with her, keeping his voice low to avoid passersby overhearing their conversation. "There's no way in hell I'm movin' on and lettin' that woman get away with it. I'm not about to stand by and let her get away with what she's done."

"She already has." Jillian put it bluntly to him. "There's nothing that we can do to make it right. There never will be. It's in the past. We just have to let it go and move on."

With an icy stare, Bill fumed, "How can you say that after everythin' that she put him through? Do you really think that Nick told us just so we could sweep it under the carpet and forget it ever happened? He told us because we're his parents. We're supposed to protect him. We failed him. She will pay." The Judge insisted, grabbing the handle to his bag. "Tell me somethin', if Nick was under age when he told us what happened to him, would you still just want to let it go and let her get on with her life, not caring what she's done to our boy?"

"I care." She felt tears burning in her eyes. "Of course I care. How can you even say that? I just know that there is nothing we can do to make it right, so why waste our time or what little life you have left? If he was younger, yes, it would be easier to deal with. We'd have more of a chance of prosecuting her or something… but it happened thirty years ago, Bill. There's nothing that we can do and you know it."

"There has to be." The man's voice broke with emotion. She hadn't seen him cry in years, but he looked as though he was on the verge of bursting right there in public. "What kind of father would I be if I stood by… if I just stand by and _let_ somethin' like this happen to him?"

Jillian pursed her lips together, sniffling back her tears threatening to spill. She glanced at her phone as it beeped, giving out a soft sigh of relief. "Our taxi is outside."

Bill quickly wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket, so he could collect up their bags. He marched on ahead of his wife towards the exit of the airport, realising this was a bad idea. As much as he wanted to see his son and be there to support him during this difficult time, he really didn't think he was ready to face him after everything he told him the last time they were face to face.

The two of them sat in complete silence in the back of the taxi, watching the other cars going by all the way to their hotel.

Bill gave the man a rather large tip that made his day, insisting on carrying their own bags all the way up to their room on the sixtieth floor. He left his wife to square everything away, perching himself on the edge of the bed, looking out at the city below. He had to admit that Las Vegas did have a certain appeal to it. He had never seen buildings so big and beautiful before in his life. It was late afternoon and the fluorescent lights from the strip could already be seen in the setting sun. He could just make out the Bellagio fountains in the distance, remembering that Nick told him it was one of Greg's favourite spots.

"I don't blame you." The man spoke after what felt like hours of silence. He turned to watch his wife refolding all their clothes, mad at himself for ever letting it get between them like this. "It's not your fault that she… did what she did. I'm not blamin' you for it. I just… I want some justice for our son."

"I still hired her. I left her alone with him. I knew there was something off with him when we got home that night, but I didn't do anything about it."

"We can go round in round in circles with this for the rest of our lives; it still won't make it alright."

"There is no making it right, Bill." She sat herself on the bed beside him. "I know you want justice. I get that. All I've thought about is making her pay for what she did. But what kind of justice do we want? What punishment would be great enough that it would finally tip the scales in Nicky's favour and make it alright?"

Dropping his head into his hands, Bill shook his head, wishing he knew the answer to that. "I don't know. I wish I knew… but I can't think straight. I've always been terrified at the thought of our children ever havin' to face the courts to get some justice. There's no real justice for victims like this."

"I hate to say I told you so." The woman spoke softly. "The damage is already done."

"I was thinkin' back on my career the other night. Tryin' to figure out how many paedophiles had walked through my court doors and walked right out again with their freedom. I remember this one case. A young girl accused her father of," He couldn't even bring himself to say it out loud. "I sat there and watched her father's lawyer tearing apart her character, calling her a liar, attention seeker, a whore… her entire family abandoned her. She was there alone tryin' to get justice for somethin' that was done to her and no one… not even her own mother would believe her."

Jillian lifted her husband's hand from his lap, holding it between hers. "Did he get away with it?"

"Don't they always," Bill sniffled back his tears, lifting his head to look at her. "It didn't matter what I did. There's no justice for their victims. The damage is already done. The jury found him not guilty. Two… maybe three years later, same man on trial… different girl."

"It's not your fault." She spoke softly. She let her tears roll free, watching the city below with her husband for a moment longer. It looked so peaceful down there but she knew that the streets were full of violence. She hadn't had the chance to see Greg yet, but after everything her son said on the phone, she knew it wasn't safe to walk around down there.

"We better get washed up." Bill finally broke the silence. "Nicky will be here in an hour."

* * *

"Ow…" Greg winced, trying to squirm away. "Ow… ow… ow…"

"I'm sorry. Sorry." Nick carefully cleaned the wound just above his partner's eye, gritting his teeth together as the younger man recoiled away from him. "It'll just take a second."

"You heard me say ow, right?"

"I'm almost done. Hold still." He quickly grabbed the fresh bandage from the counter beside him, securing it into place with a few strips of tape. "There… I think that's the last one cleaned and freshly bandaged. Your eye is almost healed up. How's your vision, is it still blurry?"

With a playful smile, Greg replied. "No, Doctor Sexy. I can see every one of your delicious curves just fine. But I have this itch up my butt that could really use some of your attention."

"Ew," Nick belly laughed, relieved to see a sign of the old Greg back in his presence. "I've told you before and I'll tell you again, it's not sexy when you say butt like that, G. You seriously need to work on your pick up lines. The biggest turn off is the fact your parents are in the very next room. That's gross. I hope that's not one of your secret fantasies."

"Why not? I had to listen to them doing it right down the hall from me for most of my teen years. Don't you think it's time for a little payback?" He playfully wiggled his eyebrows, fiddling with the clasp to Nick's belt with his one good hand. "In fact I actually walked in on them once. I was early home from school. I called through the house but there was no answer, so I made my way to the kitchen to grab a snack while I did my homework and saw my Dad completely bare arsed with my mother bent over the kitchen…"

"Ah… stop talkin'." Nick quickly put his finger to the man's lips, before he attempted to pry his hand away from the loose belt of his jeans. "You can't be tellin' me that with your folks out there." He whispered.

"How do you think they made me?" Greg continued to tease the older man. "You know they've probably done it half a dozen times in that guest bed of yours. Even with all the bumps in that old mattress."

"Please stop." Nick continued to squirm. "My ears are burnin' here, G."

A giggle escaped Greg's lips. "You're so adorable."

"Down boy." Nick warned him, still relieved to see his spirit back. "You're gonna pop your shoulder out of its socket again and I'm meetin' my folks soon and really don't want to think about your parents doin' it while I'm tryin' to bring them around to the idea of meetin' them."

"My Mom will probably do that for you. She's never been great at first impressions."

Nick joined him in a laugh. "You've got to give her credit for coverin' her verbal diarrhoea with nervous overtalkin'. I can't even remember what the first thing she said to me was because she immediately started talkin' about the weather, traffic, the house redecoration and the neighbour's dog messin' in their yard."

"It wasn't good." Greg made a soft smirk sound. "At least you like her now. Most people end up hating her and refuse to be in the same room with her again after such a terrible first impression." He checked his bruises in the mirror for himself, sealing down the pieces of tape Nick had been reluctant to put pressure on to avoid hurting him further. He still looked like a Frankenstein monster, but his lumpy jaw was beginning to take shape once again. He still hated the sight of all the cuts and bruises. He looked like a walking bruise with his clothes of and he was sick of the sympathetic looks people kept giving him.

"One more thing before I go… we should probably check your bruises too." Nick reached for the hem of the younger man's t-shirt, attempting to lift it up.

"Don't fuss." He held it securely in place. "I'm fine."

"I just want to see the bruises on your ribs."

"They're fine… would you stop." Greg gently pushed him away from him. "I get enough of this from my mother. I don't need it from you too."

"You were about to strip off my clothes to have sex with me right here, but you won't even let me see under your shirt?"

"Don't start." With an icy glare, Greg turned for the door. "I'm going back to bed since you're done with your nurse maid routine."

"Fine." Backing away from Greg, the man made quick work to clear away the bandages and antiseptic, stuffing it all in the drawer beside the sink. "Will you be okay for a few hours while I take my folks out for somethin' to eat?"

"Safe as houses." Greg tapped his knuckles against the sturdy wall of Nick's bathroom. He liked it here, but he really couldn't wait to move into their own house. "I think my Mom's cooking anyway. You don't mind them crashing at your place for another night?"

"Are you kiddin'?" Nick gave him a genuine smile. "I love havin' ya'll here. I can't wait for you to officially move in with me." He moved in to kiss him, feeling Greg's hands pushing him away rather than pulling him closer.

"Not right now." Slipping out of his reach, Greg made a beeline for the door. "I think I'm gonna get some sleep rather than staying up to wait for these pain killers to kick in. Have fun with your folks." He pushed the door to Nick's bedroom closed, crawling straight into bed. He shifted and squirmed on top of the covers for a few minutes, trying to find a position that didn't cause him more pain. It felt like he was fighting a losing battle, but then came the long hard process of trying to sleep without reliving the nightmare from that alley.

Nick cleared away the rest of the things in the bathroom, checking his shirt in the mirror for the hundredth time. He was more nervous meeting his own parents then entertaining the Sanders' in his front room right now.

He sighed as he made a move for the door, wishing his parents had listened to him and just stayed in Texas. The last thing he wanted to do right now was leave Greg alone.

"I love these." After helping herself to another handful, Mrs Sanders purred, "Mm, they're just so yummy."

"I thought you were watching your figure." Daniel glanced over the paper he was reading, smiling as Nick returned. "Hey, how's the patient?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders together. "He's still avoidin' talkin' about it."

"Things will get better." Jean Sanders consoled the concerned boyfriend. She stuffed another chocolate coated raisin into her mouth, giving him a reassuring smile. "Greg's always been stubborn like me. He'll push you away to show you how brave he can be, but deep down he doesn't want you to stop fussing."

"It's their way of keeping your attention". Daniel spoke from experience.

Jean playfully slapped her husband's thigh, giving him a smile. "He's just feeling a bit vulnerable right now and needs to know that you won't leave him. He adores you, sweetheart. Never stops talking about you. We can't get a word in edgeways once he starts talking about you. Speaking of," She turned her husband's wrist to look at the time. "Shouldn't you be off by now? Your mother will be wondering where you are if you don't get a move on. You said you'd meet them at seven, right?"

"Yeah," He groaned. He told them not to come but after they found out that the Sanders' were staying at his place, they were rather insistent on making an appearance of their own. "Can you keep an eye on him for me? And call me if he needs anythin'." He double checked that he had his phone on him and that it still had some charge.

"We will." Daniel promised him.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Jean assured him, climbing up from her seat to give him some encouragement. "Go on, we'll all be fine without you for a few hours. I can whip something up for us to eat in the kitchen or we could always order in from this new place that just opened up." She snatched up the menu from the coffee table.

"Oh not that one." Nick cautioned her, fetching his wallet from his jacket. "Food always arrives cold and everythin' tastes like cardboard. The good places are on my fridge. I think Greg's actually highlighted all his favourite meals."

Jean gave him a smile. "That's my Greg."

"Here." He fished out a few bills for her. "This should cover the three of you."

"Oh no," She backed away, shaking her head. "We couldn't possibly. We've already taken so much since we arrived. Honestly sweetheart, we're fine. Save that for your parents. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine." Jean gave him a reassuring smile as he tucked the money back into his wallet. "Your mother must be dying to see you. Where are you taking them?"

"Catherine told me about this new place that my Dad might like. Home comfort cookin'. Roasts with all the trimmings. My Dad isn't a fan of anythin' too fancy, so it should make him feel right at home." Nick found himself a smart jacket to wear. He pulled it on over his shoulders, smiling at Mrs Sanders as she neatened up the collar for him like a doting mother.

"Well have fun and don't worry about a thing." She pulled him into her arms, giving him a hug he so desperately needed. "You deserve a break after everything that you've been through. Honestly this whole time we've been here, I've been more worried about you taking all of this on rather than our patient back there. Greg shows every emotion. I know how to treat his pain, anger or how to comfort him when he's sad. He's easy. You however," She pulled back to look into his eyes. "I've never known someone who would rather hide every emotion they feel then show them. I see glimpses of what you're feeling but then you hide it behind a smile. You can talk to me if you want, sweetheart."

"I'm fine, Mrs S." He presented her with one of his familiar smiles. He feared that if he opened up now he might start crying and wouldn't be able to stop. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Take your time. Relax. Try to enjoy yourself." Jean got the door for him, trying not to show him her concern. She wanted to hug him again, but she feared she'd mess up his crease free shirt. "Say hello to your parents for us. Jillian and…"

"Bill." He filled in the blank for her. "I will." Nick waved to her from the driver's side of his truck, eager to get on the road. He saw her in his rear view mirror as he pulled out, giving her a wave from the end of the drive.

"What should we order then?" Daniel looked over the menus pinned to the Texan's fridge.

"That poor boy." Jean locked up the door, joining her husband in the kitchen. "He's hanging by a thread."

"He's fine."

"You would say that because you're a man. You only see what's on the outside of someone. You don't see the things they're trying to hide." Mrs Sanders put her back to the counter, staring at a picture of Nick on the wall. "Nicky has deeply hidden depths to him. He looks like he's holding it together on the outside because that's what he wants us to see, but on the inside he's an emotional wreck. I can crack through his hard exterior; I know I can with a little more time."

"Honey, you're a school teacher not a psychiatrist." Daniel reminded her.

"Fat load of good his shrink has been."

"He doesn't need the Jean Sanders Shock Treatment Special." He retrieved one of the menus from beneath a magnet. "How about a pizza? Greg loves pizza."

"Typical man only thinking of his stomach." Rolling her eyes, Jean reluctantly gave in to the rumble of her stomach, looking over the menu with her husband. "I'll eat anything that doesn't have anchovies." She shuddered at the thought. "I can't stand those things."

"Nick hates 'em too." Greg squeezed in between them. He couldn't ignore the rumble of his stomach any longer. "Please don't crack my boyfriend."

"Greg sweetheart, you should be resting. You can't heal if you don't rest." It broke her heart seeing her son's face all bruised and battered. She would trade places with him in a heartbeat if she could.

"I've _been _resting. I'm bored of resting." He took hold of the menu, looking over all his options. "Besides I'm hungry and you're standing in my boyfriend's kitchen." Greg flashed his father a familiar smile. "Can you get me something with chicken? Nothing too spicy though my mouth is still in agony. I felt like my whole jaw was on fire just brushing my teeth earlier."

Jean jumped to attention. "You need more pain killers."

"I'm dosed up to my eyeballs as it is. It's fine." He put his mother's mind to rest. "Nothing a little TLC can't cure."

"You're going to milk this for as long as possible, aren't you?" Jean chuckled softly, smiling proudly at her boy. "You learnt from the best."

Daniel shook his head. "I always knew it was a bad idea to let you teach him how to talk."

"Alright then," Jean clapped her hands together. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Daniel, chicken pizzas all around. Tell them to make it snappy. Do you think Nicky has any decent movies we can watch while we wait?"

"Just don't check the stash in his sock drawer." Greg cautioned, fetching himself a glass of water. "Well you would probably like it. It's very tame porn. Not a lot of flesh or action. Rookie stuff. He's always been kind of a prude about his porn."

"Not like you then. I was forever cleaning out your porn magazines from your school bag or your bedroom to stop your grandparents from discovering them. I should have known you were gay long ago with the amount of pictures of naked men stashed in that desk drawer of yours." Laughing at her husband's discomfort, Jean led her son through to the front room. "Your father's starting to blush. He's still not used to the idea of having an openly gay son."

"I'm used to it." Since the moment he discovered the truth about his son, Daniel had been on edge ready to defend him at every turning. He knew the world he was in wasn't as accepting as he wanted it to be. At first he wanted him to hide the truth or be more discreet for fear of him being beaten up, but if he learned anything from his son's recent attack, it was that he was stronger than he thought.

"I think it was more the porn speech that did it." Greg gave his father an apologetic smile.

"He loves us really." Grinning widely, Jean dropped to the sofa, starting to flick through the one hundred and fifty channels Nick had set up. She patted the sofa seat beside her, gently putting her arm around her son. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."

"For the porn stash?" Greg winced away as she playfully swatted him. "Hey, don't bruise my bruises."

"You know exactly what I mean." Jean released her hold on her son. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, relieved she still had him in her life. She didn't know what she would do without him. She didn't want to imagine what life would be like without him. "Talk to me, sweetheart. What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Too much."

"They'll be here in thirty minutes." Daniel reported, dropping to the sofa beside his son. "What's going on?"

"Greg was just about to unload all his head problems."

Greg chuckled softly. "I don't think there's enough time in the world to unload _all_ my head problems. I'm glad you guys are here though." He presented them with a smile. "For Nick more than me. He has way more head problems than me."

"He seems alright." Daniel answered, receiving a glare from each of them. "What? He does."

"Typical man." Jean shook her head, gently tapping her son's leg. "C'mon then, talk to your parents. We'll only be here for the next few days."

"I'm fine." Greg insisted, catching a look in his mother's eyes. "I am. Yeah I'm still a little jumpy, but that's natural, right? You were jumpy for days after your tiny car accident."

"The glass shattered all over my lap." She reminded him of the horror she went through. "I was just looking out to see if any cars were coming then crack, glass all over my lap. I was too traumatised to even drive it home."

"See, being jumpy is natural." Greg decided to keep the mood light rather than reliving and sharing his own trauma. "Sleeping isn't very easy because of the pain, but that will all go away soon anyway. Compared to most of their victims, I got off lightly. I just can't wait for this swelling to go down so I can get back to work."

"See." Daniel smiled at his wife. "Told you he was fine."

* * *

"It's nice." Settling into his seat in the leather covered booth, Bill Stokes admired the various pieces of wall art, before he turned his attention to the open fireplace in the middle of the restaurant. "It's got a homely setup for a place in the centre of town. Have you been here before?"

"No, not yet. Catherine from work, she told me about it." Nick set down their drinks in the centre of the table, sitting himself on the other side of the booth. "I was thinkin' about bringin' Greg here, but he hasn't really been up to it lately."

"Oh yeah, how's he doin' now?" Bill grabbed his ice cold beer, taking a soothing sip.

"Better." Nick nodded his head slightly. "His bruises are healin' up nicely."

"How long was he in hospital?"

"Not that long. It was just a few days before I got to bring him home. They were worried about his eye mostly. Thought he might lose his sight if the swellin' didn't go down. He's been strugglin' to do anythin' with his arm in a cast. He finally got the sling off his other shoulder though, so he can do a few things by himself again. He can't wait to get back to work. His parents have helped me convince him to take a few weeks off to heal up before that happens though."

"His shoulder?" The Judge continued to show interest.

"Yeah, he dislocated his shoulder. He had to wear the sling for the first few days to keep it in place. It's still causin' him some pain. Doc said it could take two or three months before it's completely healed up. And his other arm had a fracture. The cast doesn't come off for another few weeks yet."

Bill cringed at the thought. "Damn that's not exactly somethin' you want to be dealin' with for a long time. Make sure you tell him we're prayin' for him."

"Will do." Nick gave him a slight smile. He quickly climbed to his feet as he spotted his mother coming, letting her slide into the booth on his side. "Did you find the ladies alright, Mama?"

"Oh yes. And very clean too which is always a good sign." Jillian pecked a kiss to her son's cheek, removing her jacket as she sat herself down. "It's very warm in here. Is that fire real?" She motioned towards it. "It's beautiful."

"I think it's fake." Bill squinted his eyes together to get a better look. "It has to be with all that glass around it."

"So, what did I miss?" She reached for her wine glass in the middle of the table, looking between the two men. "Bill, did you tell Nicky that you sold your truck?"

Bill shook his head. "Nope."

"You sold the truck?" Nick gave him a curious look.

"Yep."

Jillian giggled softly, shaking her head at her husband. "He never drives it anymore anyway and it's just taking up space. We've decided to start downsizing our lives a little. Let's face it, we're not getting any younger and we don't want all of you to have to deal with all of our junk after we're gone. I had a hard enough time trying to clear out my mother's house after she passed away. I think we still have a load of her old furniture stored away in the garage. We held onto a lot of it just in case any of you wanted it for your new houses when you moved out, but you all went and bought your fancy flat pack furniture."

"We still have your old crib propped up behind Gwen's dirt bike." Bill added.

Nick forgot about his sister's teenage rebellion phase.

Gwen spent all of her savings on the dirt bike just so she could hang out with her new boyfriend. She barely rode the thing more than two weeks though. The novelty wore off after she discovered her boyfriend was more interested in bikes then her.

"You still have that old thing?"

"Yep." Bill nodded. "No chance we'll sell it though. The things falling apart and completely rusted over. We told her to deal with it when she was packin' up to move away, but with the baby it slipped her mind."

"I suppose some motorcycle enthusiast might be interested in taking it off our hands." Jillian suggested, taking another sip of her wine. "I don't suppose Greg would be…"

"I don't think Greg is really into motorbikes." Nick shook his head, wondering if Greg even knew how to ride one. He sat back as their waitress finally came over, setting down some empty glasses along with a jug filled with water. "We didn't order…"

"It's free. Free water jug for the table with glasses." The waitress smiled at him. She tucked the serving tray under her arm, digging out the menus from the pocket of her apron. "I can see you already got yourself sorted with some drinks from the bar. Let me know if you want some refills. Today's specials are on the board right above the bar." She motioned behind her. "My name is Amara and I'll be your waitress for today."

"Amara." Jillian smiled at the young woman. "That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you." She smiled at the older woman. "Can I get you guys any bread sticks or crackers before you take a look at the menus?"

"We're alright, thank you." Bill dismissed her, waiting for her to leave the table. He fished out his reading glasses from his jacket pocket, taking a closer look at what they had on offer.

"How old do you think she is?" Jillian continued to watch their waitress.

Nick shrugged his shoulders together. "I don't know. Maybe… early twenties. Why?"

"I think your niece Samantha might make a good waitress."

Her husband immediately smirked. "Not likely. She's never worked a day in her life. She'll probably get fired within the first five minutes for complaining too much."

"Little Sammy?" Nick gave the two of them a curious look.

Samantha used to idolise him when he was still at the ranch. She wanted to be a part of everything he was doing, even his algebra homework that made no sense to either of them.

"Not so little anymore." The Judge spoke softly, lowering his menu to the table. "There's somethin' your mother and I need to discuss with you, Nicholas."

Nick gulped, feeling as though he was in trouble from his tone of voice.

"Bill," His mother hissed, clearly trying to silence him without showing her anger. "Not now. We're not here for that. We're here to have a meal together."

"It's important."

"What uh," Nick's confusion continued to grow. "What's it about?"

"Please Bill," Jillian gave her husband a pleading look. "Not now."

Looking between his son and his wife, Bill felt his heart aching for the two of them. He wanted to get to the bottom of what happened to his son, but he couldn't bear the thought of causing him more pain than he had already gone through. He also couldn't bear the thought of butting heads with his wife for much longer.

He was fighting a losing battle.

The Judge gave out a soft sigh, lifting his menu from the table to continue reading. "You're absolutely right. Let's order some food before we all die of starvation."

* * *

**Sorry about the wait, distracted by replaying 'The Last of Us' and binge watching 'Fear the Walking Dead' over my holidays. Plenty of tearful material to prepare myself to write the beginning of this chapter... Thanks so much for reading! See you again soon for the next one.**

**~ Holly**


	6. Chapter 6 - Acceptance

**Chapter Six – Acceptance**

It was just after midnight when Greg shook himself awake, hearing the familiar sounds of glass breaking, punches being thrown and the sound of someone in pain. He shot himself up into a sitting position, a little too fast from the sudden rush of pain travelling down his spine. He could feel tingles running in the direction of his toes, pain in his ribs and the distinct taste of blood in the back of his throat.

"No… not again." He held his head, trying to flush the images of that night from his mind.

"Oh sorry, sweetheart," Quickly grabbing the remote, his mother promptly reduced the volume to the television, rejoining him on the sofa. "It's just one of those old kung fu movies. Your father wanted to watch it, but he dozed off." She motioned towards the drooling man on the other chair. "He's an old man now, you know. He has trouble staying awake after ten these days."

Relieved that his parents were still here, Greg lowered his hands from his head, feeling the tingles starting to subside. He hated feeling like this. He hadn't had nightmares since he was a kid. One little fight had reduced him to a frightened puppy in the middle of a thunderstorm.

"Honey, is everything…"

"You realise that you're a month older than him." He finally engaged her with conversation, putting her own mind at ease.

"Yes, but it's a known fact that men age a lot quicker than women do." His mother mused. "I'm celebrating my fiftieth with a grand birthday party. It's one of the biggest milestones of my life and I plan to do it in style. I want those huge photos of me through the ages all around the room. I want a live band, playing all the classics throughout the evening with lots of dancing and wine. I want the theme to be all gold and silver. Streamers, balloons, wine, those little party poppers filled with confetti. I want a big ice cream cake, sweet little cupcakes covered with hundreds and thousands to celebrate how sweet I am. Party games, wine, scavenger hunts, tequila… I want an all gold prom dress and your father can wear this flashy silver suit I keep walking past in the mall."

"You said wine three times."

"I did." Jean giggled softly. "There will be a lot of wine. Your father just wants a sit down meal with the family for his fiftieth."

"I don't blame him. It's tough to go after something like that." He cracked a grin. "They'll all be saying remember Jean's party, now she knows how to throw a party."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I'm no wall flower anymore." She matched his smile. "I'd like you and Nicky to come too. Don't worry; you don't have to wear themed clothing. It'll just be nice to have you both there."

"I don't get a prom dress?" He playfully whined.

His mother threw her head back in laughter. "I think your Papa Olaf might have a heart attack if he saw that. You know how nervous drag queens make him after that stand up comedian queen embarrassed him in front of everyone."

"He and Nick have that in common." Greg had yet to take his boyfriend to one of his favourite clubs since the older man was terrified of being around drag queens. "He's not too keen on clowns either."

"I better not book one for my party then."

"It's still almost a year off." He pointed out to her. "You only _just_ celebrated your forty ninth birthday party in style. You're not losing your marbles already, are you, Mom?"

"No, you little turd." She playfully swatted his thigh. "It's important to plan these things ahead of time. I've had this one planned since my thirtieth. My mother thought I was mad, but she was really disappointed with her fiftieth party." Sighing softly, Jean turned her attention towards her son, watching him rubbing the cast over his arm. "Are you alright, do you need me to get you anything?"

"Don't fuss." Greg sighed, dropping back into the position he had previously been lying in. "I'm fine. It's just itchy. I can't wait to have this thing removed." He let it drop to his chest, cringing from the distinct odour it carried. He didn't know if it was the plaster cast itself or the dried blood on the inside. "Is Nicky home yet?"

"Not yet." She checked her watch. "I'm sure he's having a great time with his parents."

"You don't know his parents."

* * *

Squinting in the semi darkness of the hotel courtyard, Bill cast his eyes down towards the cigarette butts scattered across the floor, feeling a sudden craving for them. He hadn't smoked a cigarette in years. He had the occasional cigar on special occasions, but his wife had forbid him from smoking cigarettes ever since their first child was born nearly fifty years ago now. He didn't know where the time had gone. It still felt like just yesterday he was fixing together a crib for his first born or trying to find a house that they could raise their family in.

He was dreading telling the children that they were selling their childhood home, but the place was simply too big for just the two of them at this stage in their life. He would love the home to stay within the family, but so far none of his children had expressed any interest in running the ranch that had been a huge part of his life for the last fifty years.

He couldn't think of that right now though. Right now he had to focus on the son he had flown four hours to see.

Bill turned towards the door as it swung open, spotting his youngest finally emerging. His features reminded him so much of his own father. He was grateful that he didn't take after his personality though. He didn't know where he got his kind and sensitive side from.

"Pancho," He used his familiar childhood nickname to ease the tension between them. "Is your mother…?"

"Yeah, I took her up to her room. Said she's goin' to sleep after all the wine she drank." Nick zipped his jacket up, joining his father under the dim garden lighting. "You said you wanted to talk to me." He really wanted to get back to Greg after being away from him for so long already, but he wasn't about to pass up the chance to talk to his father.

"Yes, I did. I mean, I do." Mustering up every bit of courage he had, Bill started, "I have a couple of things I want to talk to you about actually. First of all… I just… I want you to know that I've always been proud of you, Pancho. Always. There's nothin' that you could do that would change that."

Nick sunk his teeth into his bottom lip to keep it from quivering; only managing a nod in response.

"I… I didn't handle it well when you came out to us. Understatement of the year." The man remarked. "But I would really like to genuinely apologise for everythin' that I said to you after you told us that you were gay. Findin' out that your son is… not who you thought he was after thirty odd years is…"

"I'm still the same person." He quoted his boyfriend. "It's just a small part of me."

Bowing his head, his father nodded softly as he leant against the railing behind them. "I didn't handle it well, I know that. Your mother has always told me to think before I speak, but speakin' comes more naturally to me than pausin' and thinkin' about it first." He softly smirked. "I don't blame you for hatin' me after what I said. I want you to know that I've never stopped lovin' or carin' for you. This… it doesn't change anythin' between us." He lifted his gaze to look into his son's eyes. "As a father you do the best that you can to protect your children. The thought of you bein' taken advantage of like…"

"That's not what," As much as Nick wanted acceptation from his father; he didn't quite want it to go like this. "Bein' with a man doesn't mean that I… I don't let anyone take advantage of me. That's not what it's about. After what I went through as a kid, I would never let anyone…"

"Of course… I didn't mean it like," Bill tightly clutched the cold railing in his palms. "This here is exactly the reason why I've always left the emotional topics to your mother." He cracked a smile at his son. "It's no secret that I'm useless at this stuff."

Nick gave the man a smile, joining him against the railing. "To be honest, you took it better than I had always imagined it."

"I did?" He sounded surprised.

"Yeah, I mean… I didn't think that you would literally kill me or anythin' like that." He put his father's mind at ease. "I think I just always assumed the worst possible outcome, so I delayed it for as long as possible. I didn't want to disappoint you and I couldn't change who I was… so I thought that not tellin' you was best for everyone."

"You don't have to change who you are for me, Pancho. You should never change who you are for anyone, least of all your father." Bill rolled his head back, wishing he knew where he had gone wrong. "I had this vision for each of you when you were little. Lily was going to marry a man who wanted to travel as much as she did. Billy would find a girl who could tolerate his quirks and make him see what was important in life. Gwen was going to marry a banker or a lawyer. Someone who could keep her in the shoes she spends extravagant amounts of money on or someone who could rein her in and get her to focus on her life."

"Anthony the mechanic didn't quite live up to that." Nick smirked.

"No," The Judge agreed with him. "My daughter's the bread winner, curing teens with eating disorders rather than counselling in her own private practice and he's become a house husband. I saw him the other day and all he could talk about was this ballet recital." He sighed softly. "For you, I pictured someone who could bring you out of your shell. Put a smile on your face and take care of you. After seein' you with Greg at the ranch, I realised that he was exactly that… he just wasn't quite what I expected."

After a long pause, Nick asked, "Because he's a guy?"

"Yeah… I don't know what I was expectin' really. You told me you were gay but I was still expectin' you to bring a girl home. I'm not even completely against… that sort of thing. There's scientists tryin' to prove that it's natural. I just… don't know anyone who is. I don't think I've even known anyone who is," Lowering his head, Bill admitted, "I didn't think it was a long term relationship kind of deal. I just thought… ugh, I don't know what I thought. I'm not disappointed in you was my point. I've never been disappointed in you. I'm disappointed in myself for creatin' this rift between us. When you were little we were inseparable. I couldn't do anythin' around the ranch without you at my side. Your mother used to call you my little helper. Everythin' I did, you wanted to be a part of. When did I start to push you away?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders together, trying to think back. "I… don't know. I think I pushed you away more. I wasn't Billy."

"What do you mean?" Confusion twisted in his brow.

"I don't know," Nick struggled to explain without getting too emotional. "Sometimes it just felt like you were comparin' me to him all the time. Billy was always your golden boy. He did everythin' right and I could never be as good as him. You approved of everythin' that he did. He's even named after you. I often felt like I was second in line or somethin'."

"I never meant," The man shook his head, finally seeing things from his son's perspective. "I think I'm officially out of the ranks for father of the year award now. Fifty years of havin' children and it turns out I know nothin' about them and I did a shitty job in the first place."

"You weren't that bad." He spoke softly, giving his father a smile. "We're all still alive, so you must have done somethin' right."

Groaning softly, Bill pushed himself off the railing, turning to face his youngest. "Your brother, Billy was not my golden boy. I didn't love you any less because you were born after him. I love all of my children the same. Billy was just… louder than you. You were always quiet, reserved. Billy was into his sports, the trucks, he always had a new girlfriend on his arm…"

"You're doin' it again." Nick stopped him there.

His father held up one finger while he gathered his thoughts into what he really wanted to say. "You always got the good grades. You worked hard. We never had to remind you to do your homework because you were always doin' it. You helped out on the ranch. You loved takin' care of the animals with me and your mother. You always volunteered to walk the dogs in the mornin' before school. You got into college on your baseball scholarship. You work in one of the top labs in the country. I am so proud of you, Nicholas. You're named after my Grandfather. The man who taught me how to fish, hunt, drive… I idolised that man growin' up. I always wanted to be just like him. I don't compare you to your brother. I never have. I'm sorry that I ever made you feel that way."

Nick clenched his teeth into his bottom lip for a second time, seriously wishing that Greg was here right now.

"As for Greg," The man paused for the longest moment in deep thought. "I have nothin' against him personally."

"But you don't like him?"

"Of course I like him, what's not to like. He's polite, intelligent… he has a good sense of humour to him. I hope he didn't feel as though we were against him. He seems like a fine young man." He assured him, before he made a confession. "The sleepin' arrangement speech back at the ranch could have gone a little better. I don't want you to feel like we were pushin' you away or out of your childhood home because he was with you. We would have done the exact same thing with one of your sister's boyfriends before they were married. It was never our intention to make you feel unwelcome or force you out to a hotel."

"So if Greg and I were married?" Nick put the question to his father.

The Judge raised an eyebrow, his face draining a little. It never occurred to him that his son might actually marry the man he had introduced him to. As much as he liked Greg, could he really accept him as his son's husband?

"I uh," He struggled to think for a moment. "I don't know. Is that a possibility?"

The nerves were bubbling to the surface of Nick's stomach now. He felt as though there was a pit of acid inside him, making him feel as though he was about to throw up or maybe even pass out. "I… well, we've been together for so long now, it feels like the right thing to do. I… I want to show him how much he means to me and I think that… maybe marryin' him is the right way to go about it."

After a beat, Bill Stokes smiled. He tapped his hand to his son's shoulder, wondering what he had been so worried about. "In that case… of course. Absolutely. You're both always welcome at the ranch anyway; I don't want you to feel as though you are a second class citizen in your home. If you gave us time to work it out, we could have found space for Greg to stay over too. I never said that you should leave or any of that… it was just… a little bit of a shock."

The two men stood motionless for a few minutes, trying to think of a new topic to get them past the awkward tension.

"He's… an interestin' man."

"Yeah, he is." Nick agreed with his father on that one. "I care about him a lot. He cares about me too. I've never been with anyone as lovin' as he is. He checks every box and he was there when I needed him the most."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad that you've found someone that makes you happy. That's all I ever wanted for you. Your sister, Gwen told me that I have to see the person rather than the packagin'. I didn't quite understand what she meant… until now, of course."

Nick cracked another grin, starting to finally feel more at ease around his father. "What uh… what was the other thing you wanted to talk about?"

"What? Oh, right." The man remembered the second uncomfortable subject he wanted to discuss. "Your mother and I are sellin' the ranch." He decided to say it as quickly as possible. He figured it was like ripping off a band aid. "I'm eighty two years old, Nicholas. I can't climb the stairs without gettin' short of breath. I can barely walk down the end of our drive with the dogs anymore. I can hardly keep on top of everythin' at the ranch."

"I kinda figured that out already." Nick broke it to him. "Yeah, the clearin' out all the junk thing kinda tipped me off."

"Oh," Bill gave his son a proud smile. "See there's that brain of yours again. You definitely didn't get that from my side. Maybe from your Great Grandfather though. He was always super intuitive. He could tell what you were thinkin' just by lookin' at you." He stared up at the sky for a moment, trying to gather the courage and find the right words to ask his next question.

As much as he wanted to maintain this high and keep everything rosy between them from now on, he knew that he would never forgive himself if he didn't ask the question that had been keeping him up all night.

"I… I uh was hopin' we could talk about what we should do about… what she did."

"Who?"

The older man sighed. "What you told us back at the ranch… about the babysitter. I want to talk about what she did and what we should do about it."

Nick felt his heart racing in his chest. His throat was starting to feel a little tight, but he didn't want to show any sign of weakness in front of his father. "What do you…?"

"What kind of father would I be if I just let somethin' like this happen to you?" He cut him off. "I am your father. I failed you. I should have protected you from this." Bill reached out for his son's shoulder again, giving it a gentle squeeze. "None of this is your fault. I want you to know that. The only one to blame here is her. And I don't want her to get away with it unpunished."

The tears he had been desperately struggling to hold onto suddenly started to flow.

The battle was lost.

* * *

Tilting his head back against the arm of the sofa, Greg's eyes followed the bright white lights from a car's headlights outside. He could see every little mark in the paintwork on the ceiling. A cobweb was hanging from the light fixture. There was a moth or something resting on the inside of the grey lampshade and an oddly shaped brown mark on the arch of the doorway.

The lights went out before he could explore the room further.

He recognised the sound of Nick's truck engine being cut off, before the door popped open. He counted his footsteps to the door, feeling butterflies fluttering to the surface of his stomach as he listened to the jangle of his keys clattering together in the lock. He struggled to sit himself up as the door eased open, greeting the man he adored with a lively smile.

"Hey you."

Nick immediately whipped his head around; surprised that anyone was still awake. He quickly wiped his hands across his cheeks, before he made his way towards him. "Hey. You didn't have to wait up for me." He ditched his keys on the coffee table, leaning down to his boyfriend's level to press a kiss to his lips. "You should be sleepin'."

"I can't sleep without you in that huge bed." Greg slid back against the arm of the sofa, tugging Nick down beside him. The warmth of his body alone was more of a comfort to him than just sniffing his pillow. "I missed you."

"You missed me?"

"Of course I did." He placed his hand on Nick's thigh, noticing the familiar signs of emotional breakdown in his features. "So, how did it go?"

A small smile spread across the man's lips.

"That well, huh?"

"You uh… you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Shrugging his jacket off his shoulders, Nick tossed it across the room to the other chair, running his fingers back through his hair. "I feel like I dreamed up half the night. It felt too surreal to be real." He bent to loosen the laces to his boots, feeling the younger man's hands creeping across his shoulders. His arms gently snaked themselves around his neck, before he rested his head against him, breathing soft wispy breaths across the ticklish hairs on the back of his neck.

"Tell me all about it. Don't leave any parts out."

"Are you sure?" Nick gently smoothed his fingertips across the cast draped around his neck, stopping as he reached his partner's delicate skin. "You seem a little…"

"I popped a sleeping pill about an hour ago after my folks went to bed." He rolled his head across the man's shoulders. "I feel sleepy but I still can't sleep. You know when you get back from a shift and you feel really exhausted, but your brain is just too wired to relax?"

"Yeah… you didn't take it with the other…"

"No." Greg giggled softly at the worrier. "I haven't taken a diazepam in days. I told you I don't like them."

"The doc prescribed you them to help you sleep."

"They make me drowsy and make me feel numb. They don't even help me sleep. I just wake up constantly and feel like I'm trapped in my thoughts. I don't like em." Greg tightened his grip around the man's shoulders, listening to his heart pounding through his chest. "So, tell me what happened with your folks. And don't think I didn't notice those tear streaks."

Nick smirked softly, placing his hand over Greg's. "I love you so much."

"I knew there had to be a reason why you asked me to marry you." He cracked a grin, clutching the man he adored tighter in his arms. "Stop stalling. Talk to me."

"You know me too well." Relaxing back against the warm embrace of his boyfriend, Nick made a confession, "I told my father that I'm marryin' you. I left out the part about my proposal. I don't think he's quite at the stage of helpin' us plan our weddin' or even walkin' me down the aisle, but he took it better than I ever expected."

"And what happened to waiting to tell our parents?" He sounded a little annoyed since his parents were currently living with them and they had yet to be told.

"I'm sorry. I know we were goin' to wait until we ready to tell them or ready to start plannin' the big day, but it… it just kinda came out. I'm sorry." He brushed his thumb across the back of Greg's hand, realising that his father might tell his mother. Before he knew it his entire family could know, bringing back his anxiety. "I honestly didn't mean to tell him like that. He was just apologisin' for the ranch. He mentioned that he would have done the same to my sisters before they were married and I had to ask to see if he was serious."

"So, how did he take the news?"

Nick smiled softly. "Honestly, I think I dreamed that whole part. He didn't react the way I thought he would at all. In fact he gave me this whole speech about how he accepts me and you. He gave you quite a few compliments actually. I really wasn't expecting that."

"Compliments about me?"

"Yeah, he was serious too. He wanted to apologise if he made you feel unwelcome at the ranch. He told me that he really likes you and he can't wait to get to know you better." He held the younger man's arm tighter across his shoulder, feeling the pounding of his heart beat through his back. "He told me they're sellin' the ranch too. He hasn't told the others yet. He doesn't want them to freak out or demand their share."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I know it's my childhood home, but I don't expect my parents to live there forever. I think it's time for a new family to move in and make their own memories." He tilted his head back, feeling the younger man's breath on his cheek. "I can't wait for us to move into our place. We can start buildin' our own lives, memories."

"You have to strip out the floral first. It gives me a headache just thinking about it."

"I will. I'll make it so you never even knew it was there."

"Another reason why I love you." Greg made a move to lie down, pulling Nick down beside him as the sleeping pill finally started to take effect. "Don't go anyway, okay?" He spooned his safety blanket tightly in his embrace.

"Are you sure you don't want to move to my bed? It might be more comfortable."

"No…" Greg breathed softly against the older man's neck. "I'm… okay here. Just don't go."

"I won't." Tilting his head back, Nick watched the younger man dozing off to sleep, adoring him even more. He had never been more sure in his life. Greg was definitely the one and he wasn't going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that.

* * *

The next morning, Daniel Sanders awoke to the sound of a doorbell chiming. He thought he was imagining it at first. He tried to roll over to drown it out, trying to get just a few more minutes of sleep in. He wasn't at all prepared for the pillow to come flying his way, hitting him right in the face.

"Daniel, get the door. The boys must still be asleep and I can't answer it I'm naked." His wife exclaimed, running back to the bathroom.

"Yes, dear." Clearing the cobwebs from his eyes, Daniel shifted himself out of bed, grabbing his robe from the end. He tied it into place around his waist, sleepily trudging through the hallway towards the front door. He took a quick look through the side window, vaguely recognising the man from somewhere, but he couldn't quite remember where. He popped the door open, giving the confused man on the other side a smile. "Good Morning. Can I help you?"

"Uh," The other man's eyes darted around the foyer a moment, before they settled on the familiar looking man and his robe. "Sorry, I didn't realise it was so early." He checked the time on his watch, before he extended the hand towards the man in a polite jester. "I'm Bill Stokes. By the look of you, I'd guess you were Greg's father."

"Nick's father?" Daniel caught sight of the boys on the sofa in the next room, easing the door closed a little so the other man couldn't see. He didn't know how comfortable he was with their intimacy yet. "Right, yes. I'm Greg's father. Hello, I'm Daniel." He accepted the man's hand for a stern shake.

The older man gripped his hand painfully tight, crushing the bones of his fingers together. He figured he deserved that one for his son corrupting his youngest. If Nick was a girl in this situation, he imagined a punch would have been coming his way.

"Is Nick about?" The Judge knotted his brow together, watching the Greg lookalike trying to think of an excuse.

"Uh… yes… actually I think he's still sleeping."

Taking another step into the house, Bill Stokes followed the man's gaze, seeing his son embracing the other man's son. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt pangs of guilt in the pit of his stomach. He could see the bright bumpy bruises covering the younger man's features, realising he had pulled Nick away from that to talk about his own guilt.

"Uh… can I get you some coffee?" Daniel tried to lighten the situation.

"Oh… okay then…" He took another step inside. "Is your wife…?"

"In the shower. She kicked me out of bed to answer the door." He cracked a smile, leading the older man through to Nick's kitchen. It was all open plan so the Judge could still see his son, but at least it put some distance between them. "Where's your wife? Did she fly over with you?" He made awkward small talk while he got to work on brewing them some coffee.

"Oh yes, she's still a bit… hung over." Bill admitted, returning the man's smile. "She overdid it on the wine last night and wanted to stay in bed. Our flight home is this afternoon, so I wanted to pop by and see Nicky before we left." He folded his arms across his chest as he examined his surroundings, spotting a photo of his son with Greg's parents pinned to the fridge. "When was that taken?"

"Hm?" Daniel followed his gaze, feeling another bout of guilt. "Oh, that was last year for Greg's birthday. We took my boat out. It poured down with rain for three days." He smiled at the memory. "But Nick caught a big one his first time out."

"Nick was on a boat… fishing?"

"Yeah, he picked it up really quickly. When Greg was a kid he usually just sat on the edge with his stick and string, pretending he was fishing. He never wanted to do it for real. He didn't like the idea of sticking a fish with a metal hook. Nick picked it up straight away though and he caught a big one to feed the six of us. He scaled and cleaned it better than Greg ever could too." Daniel gave the man a proud smile, turning back to finish their coffees.

"Six?" The Judge gave him a confused look. "I thought Greg was an only child."

"Oh, yes. He is." He quickly backtracked. "My wife's parents were there too. Nana and Papa Olaf, Greg calls them. They love Nick."

Bill turned his attention away from the photos, feeling as though his son had been living a double life. "I used to take the boys fishing when they were little. My eldest, Billy would always get bored and start ninja fightin' or somethin' with his pole. Nicky always brought a book to read so he wouldn't get bored. He would never pick up a knife to skin them though. He would always name them as well. The moment they came out of the water they had names, so we would have to throw them back. I didn't want him worryin' that we were eatin' Harvey for dinner."

Daniel gave the man a smile, handing him the second coffee mug from his hands. "He's a good boy. I don't know what my son would have done without him these past few weeks."

The Judge wanted to admit that he felt the same. He had been worrying more about his son since his abduction six feet under. He thought he was still alone, living by himself or maybe even suffering after what had happened to him, but it turned out he had been with Greg the whole time living a secret double life away from him.

"Mornin'." A familiar voice startled him from his thoughts.

"Morning, Nick." Daniel gave him a warm smile.

Nick felt his heart skipping in his chest at the sight of the two men sharing an early morning coffee. He always assumed they would trade punches if they ever met each other, but for now it seemed to be going smoothly.

"Mornin'." Bill finally responded, lowering his coffee mug to the side. "I was just gettin' to know Greg's father here. Tradin' fishin' stories." He gave him a genuine smile to prove that everything was okay between them. "Son, if you have a minute… I just wanted to…"

"Don't mind me." Daniel made a beeline out of the kitchen. "I'll get out of your way." He tapped Nick on the shoulder as he walked past him, giving him another smile to assure him that everything was okay.

"He seems nice." The Judge put his back to the counter, watching his son pouring himself a cup. "Son, I didn't mean to push you last night."

"Dad… I really don't want to talk about it." He whirled around to face him. "I didn't tell you because I wanted justice. I told you because I wanted you to know what happened to me. I don't know if I'll ever really be over it… but I don't want it to control my life. It's in the past."

"I understand that." He spoke softly. "I'm still sorry that I brought it up. I was hopin' that this could be a fresh start for the two of us… the last thing I want to do is tear a new rift between us after we've worked so hard to put it back together."

"I don't want that either." Nick agreed with him. "But you have to let me deal with this in _my_ way."

"Understood." He bowed his head. "I didn't say anythin' to your mother about," The man tapped his ring finger. "I won't tell her until you're ready. I'm grateful that you trusted me with somethin' like this. It feels like it's been so long since we had that."

"I know." He took a sip of the hot liquid, amazed that his father was even still here. He figured he must have been serious about their new found bond, rather than just pretending for the sake of his mother. "Thank you." Nick spoke softly. "For bein' here. Sometimes I look at the bond Greg has with his father and I feel a little envious that I don't have that. I want a fresh start for us too."

"Makin' up for lost time." The Judge raised his coffee mug in a toast.

Nick matched his smile, clinking his coffee mug against his father's. He couldn't believe it. He felt as though he had to pinch himself to make sure that he was really awake and not having some elaborate fantasy.

"Good Morning!" Jean sung as she made her way into the kitchen. Her hair was still wet but at least she was dressed. "Hello there, I'm Jean Sanders. You must be Nicky's father, we've heard so much about you. It's lovely to finally meet you." She practically lunged at the man to hug him, showing her true warm colours right away.

Nick caught the look in his father's eyes as the strange woman hugged him, trying to suppress a smile. He couldn't even recall his own parents hugging.

"Well, shall I make us all some breakfast?" Jean rubbed her hands together. "Eggs and bacon sound good to everyone? I'll make the Jean Sanders Special."

Bill wanted to leave, but he didn't want to upset his son. He put on his best smile, planning to remain civil for his son's sake. "That sounds… lovely, Mrs Sanders."

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! More on the way soon.**

**~ Holly**


	7. Chapter 7 - Back to Normal

**Chapter Seven – Back to Normal**

Waking up to the early morning light pouring in through the window, Nick rolled himself over in search of his boyfriend's warm body, finding himself alone. He pushed back the covers to get up, padding through to the front room where Greg was sat, clutching a coffee mug tightly between his hands as he stared absently out the window to his apartment.

It had been several weeks since the assault in the alley, but the bruises were still there. The events of that night were still there too, racing through his brain every moment of the day.

"There you are." Nick dropped to the sofa beside him, gently combing his fingers through his partner's hair. He touched his hand to his tinted blue cheek, looking into his big caramel brown eyes. "Come back to bed. You need to sleep."

"Can't sleep. I didn't want to wake you up with my tossing and turning all night. You looked so peaceful." He forced out a smile to assure him he was okay. He cupped Nick's chin in his hand, leaning forward's to press a kiss to his lips. "What time do you want to leave for my Mom's?"

"Warrick is comin' over to give us a hand shiftin' this lot over to my place. I've got my shift before that. Should be ready to go about five as long as I don't get held up." He hoped he hadn't just jinxed it by saying it out loud. "Your Mom doesn't mind us gettin' in late?"

"Are you kidding? She doesn't care just as long as we get there." Greg shook his head, ditching his coffee mug to hold the older man in his arms. He rested his head against his shoulder, listening to his heart beating through his chest. "I wish we were spending the weekend alone together rather than with my parents."

"Me too, baby." He rested his chin on the man's head. "We'll be in our own house soon. I can't wait to start decoratin'. We have to decide what furniture to keep. Wallpaper or paint. Then there's carpets. I don't know how many samples we've got layin' around now."

"I never would have pictured myself becoming a home maker with a cowboy." Greg smiled against the man's shoulders, wishing they could move in now. "My Mom was pretty bummed she left without seeing our dream home."

"It's good they _did_ finally leave. I need to get my place sorted so we can put it on the market. I was hopin' to sell it before we moved. At this rate we might end up rentin' it out. Honestly, I thought your mother would never leave after the first three weeks." He giggled softly, smoothing his hands up and down his partner's back.

Greg joined his laughter. "She almost didn't when you hinted at wedding bells in our future. You know you can't joke about that stuff around my mother. She'll call up with information on wedding planners or gay friendly ministers. She might even pick out matching suits for us to walk down the aisle in."

"That's a whole lot more than my mother would do." He stopped to wonder if his parents would even attend their wedding. "My Mama's still duckin' my calls. It used to be my father that did that. It's weird not bein' able to talk to her anymore. She barely even said goodbye to me before they flew home again. She did ask about Christmas again. I guess she's still annoyed that we're goin' to your Mom's instead of the ranch. But hey, we might be hostin' our own Christmas dinner in our place this time next year. Do you think my folks would come?"

"Not if my parents are there. I think my Mom scared your father off after that breakfast." The younger man smirked, pulling back to look into Nick's big puppy dog eyes. "Is that what you really want?"

"I don't want to get my hopes up. They'd never come, even if I asked three years in advance they'd come up with an excuse."

"Your Dad might."

"I hope so." He pressed his lips to Greg's forehead, helping him up from the sofa. "Come back to bed. We've got an hour before the alarm goes off." He held his hand as he led him back to the bedroom, settling against the pillows with Greg in his arms. "It'll get better you know."

"You know that from experience?"

"Yeah. I do, actually." The Texan giggled, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Don't you remember talkin' me down from more than a few panic attacks in the middle of the night?"

"All too well." Greg buried his head in the nock of Nick's shoulder. "You'd think I'd be an expert by now." He gave out a soft sigh, tracing the man's heart with his fingertip. "At least you didn't kill someone. I don't know what's worse. The fact that someone is dead is because of me or the fact that every time I close my eyes, I feel like I'm back in that alley."

"Self defence." Nick repeated the phrase he had been saying a lot lately. "You saved a man's life. That kid was gonna bash his brains in with a brick. You did what you had to. In that situation, I woulda done the same thing. Warrick, Sara and Catherine would have too."

"It's still a man's life. If I wasn't your boyfriend, would you still agree with what I did?"

"Absolutely," Nick kissed the top of his head. "The kid murdered a family man. He beat up people on the streets because he was bored. He had no excuse for bein' there in that alley. He could have run off with his friends. He chose to stay and continue the violence. Trust me; the world is better off without a guy like that around. He was still basically just a kid so he'd probably have only served a few years in jail, before he was out hurtin' more people. Once a violent offender, always a violent offender."

"Tell that to his mother. She's telling everyone I murdered her son in cold blood."

"Mother's guilt." He spoke softly, noticing the frown on his boyfriend's brow. "Well she must have been doin' somethin' wrong to have her son out on the streets beatin' people up. That doesn't come from good parentin'. If you raise your kids right, teach them right from wrong then they know that somethin' like that isn't right."

Pushing himself up from the man's chest, Greg gave the man a curious look. "Do you want to be a father, Nicky?"

"Someday." He patted the man's thigh. "I want more time alone with you first, but I definitely want kids in our future. I'm not picky but I can picture us havin' two or three little Greg's runnin' around one day. Climbin' the walls after a sugar fix. Overtalkin' themselves out of punishment or chores."

"Three?" Greg gritted his teeth together. "Wow, I thought maybe one or two, but three? There's only two of us. It'll be scary if they outnumber us."

The older man chuckled softly. "Are you scared of kids, G?"

"They freak me out a little, especially in swarms like that. I like kids. I can relate to them easier than most adults. At the ranch it was a little overwhelming all those kids running around aimlessly. How are you supposed to keep an eye on that many at once? They're small, clumsy and a bit thick. Most of them don't know that you're not supposed to touch hot things or put your fingers in a socket."

Nick threw his head back in another chuckle, adoring his boyfriend even more. "That's why they have adults to teach them that stuff, G."

"Exactly," Greg moved himself to sit on the man's hips. "And if there's two of us and three kids, how are we supposed to stop them all from doing that?"

After a hefty belly laugh, Nick leant forwards to seal a kiss to his lips. "You're freakin' adorable, G. I can't wait to be a co-parent with you."

"Do you really think I have what it takes?"

"Of course," He broke into a huge grin. "You'd make an amazin' father one day. I can't wait to be a Dad with you. And I know they'll love yah just as much as I do." Snaking his arm around the man's body, Nick pulled him down to the bed beside him, planting a kiss to his cheek. "It'll get easier. I'm kinda an expert on the PTSD front, so you can take my word for it when I tell you it'll get easier. The dreams will stop… eventually. Panic attacks are easier to deal with if you have an adorable boyfriend around." He playfully jabbed his side, sealing a kiss to his lips. "You just have to take it one day at a time and remember to breathe."

"Breathing would be easier if there wasn't a half naked stud on top of me." He smiled at the man. "You know I can tell when you're lying, Tex. I've seen you trying to hide panic attacks and nightmares from me."

"I'm not hidin'… I'm dealin'." He defended himself. "You've gotta admit that I'm better than I was last year."

"Yeah because now you're distracted by me."

"I know somethin' that'll really take your take your mind off it." Straddling his partner's body, Nick licked a playful kiss to his neck, nipping another to his shoulder. "Hey," He caught a tear rolling down his boyfriend's cheek, pressing his lips to its salty trail. "It's okay, Greg. We don't have to do anythin' you don't want to."

"It's not that." He shook his head, wiping away his tears. "I'm such a wimp."

"You're not a wimp. You saved a man's life, riskin' your own in the process."

"Some hero," Greg sniffled. "I almost died."

"Honey," Finding the man even more adorable, Nick lay himself on top of him, holding him tightly in his embrace. "You won't feel like this forever. Believe me; I've gone over everythin' I did with my own freak shows. Remember my stalker? That one kept me awake for months worryin' about everythin' I did to make him think that we could even be friends in the first place. I thought over every little thing, drivin' myself mad with worry. You did what you had to."

Covering his trembling lip, Greg nodded softly.

"You didn't die, baby. You're still alive." He gently combed his fingers through the younger man's hair. "It's a fucked up feelin' I know, but it'll hit you every now and then. You're alive."

"You know, I always wanted to understand the mind of Nick Stokes a little more. I wanted to know what you were thinking or feeling, how I could help you feel safe or anything other than terrified. I never _literally_ wanted to understand the whole process though. This fucking sucks." He snorted out a laugh through his tears, rolling his eyes at himself. "I bet you thought dating men got you out of the water works."

"Hey, I love a good cry." Nick pecked a kiss to his damp cheek. "The ladies aren't the only ones allowed to cry out their feelings, you know. We both have a ton of emotional baggage. Near death experiences and let's face it, we're nuts. You should know that by now, you have to drive me to the shrink's office every two weeks. Even he thinks I'm nuts. Who else would stay in a job like this in a city like this after all the crap we've been through?"

"Ugh," Greg groaned, wiping away the last of his tears. "I'm gonna cry at our wedding. I know it. I blame you, Stokes. Before you came along, I could count the times I cried in a year on one hand."

"Hey cryin' is good. Showin' emotions is good. It means you're still alive."

"Oh yeah, did your shrink teach you that?" He playfully tickled the older man's sides, sniffling back his tears. "I believe you were on your way to do something, Tex." He motioned down. "Please continue."

Nick threw his head back in laughter, propping himself up on his elbows either side of the man's head. "I love datin' a man. After a good cry, you're always ready for sex." He stole a kiss from his lips, kissing his way down to his navel. He felt Greg's fingers weaving through his hair as he approached his target, losing himself in the fantasy of being with the man of his dreams for the rest of his life.

* * *

"I thought you hated this time of year." Nick remarked upon entering his supervisor's office, spotting the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree on the desk behind him.

"Oh," Grissom turned to look at the reminder of Sara. "It… it was a gift." He spun to face the younger man, noticing the file in his hands. "Is that the prints from our scene?"

"No, Mandy is my next stop. This is the autopsy results on vic number one. Doc Robbins confirms they were hacked up _after_ they died. He also found an implant on this guy. He traced back the serial number to a John Ellis. He had testicular cancer four years back and got an implant for the missin' ball." Nick dropped the results in front of his boss, watching the man searching for his glasses to take a look. "No ID on the second vic yet. Hopefully Mandy will have somethin' on their prints."

"Alright, let me know."

"Is that from Sara?" Nick noticed a postcard on his desk.

"Oh… yes," The man quickly moved it out of reach, before any of his nosy employees got their hands on it. "She's visiting her mother in San Francisco. She needed some space from the lab, a chance to clear her head." He wanted to ask how Greg was dealing with the aftermath of what happened, but acknowledging their relationship now meant he'd have to take a more hands on approach around the lab. He had avoided pairing them up or putting them on the same case ever since he found out, which was easier since Greg was still on light duties, but if Ecklie found out the truth, he'd want to separate them across shifts which never ended well.

"Alright," Nick backed away out of his office. "I'll let you know as soon as I have anythin'."

"Thanks, Nick."

Leaving his supervisor staring at the postcard from his beloved, Nick made his way across the hall, easing open the door to the print lab. "Hey, Mandy. Have you got anythin' from those prints I gave you yet?"

"I do, but you'll have to earn it first." She swiped the file off her desk, giving the man a grin. "C'mon, sing it dude."

Cracking a smile, Nick stepped further into the lab, letting the door close behind him. He thought no one would speak to him after they found out the truth. A few detectives and deputies had been extra quiet around him, but the majority of the lab crew still treated him like the same old Nick. "Oh, Mandy," He started belting out the chorus to Barry Manilow's song Mandy. "Well you came and you gave without takin'. But I sent you away. Oh, Mandy…"

"That's enough." The woman giggled, giving out a soft sigh. "Always nice to hear your sweet Texan twang singing my name. At least for one last time. I don't think Greg would approve of you singing love songs to me anymore." She handed over the file from her hands. "Got an ID on both your victims. John and Michael Ellis. They were doctors at Desert Palms. And brothers."

"Brothers. Thank you, Mandy." He leant forwards to peck a kiss to her cheek. "I'll always have time to sing your name."

Mandy felt weak in the knees. "Get out of here." She gave him a playful push towards the door. "You better not break Greg's heart. He's a role model around here. Lab tech to field CSI. If you break his heart, you might find yourself at the bottom of everyone's to do list."

"I won't break his heart." He gave her a promise, backing out the door. "Thanks, Mandy."

"Mr Stokes," A young lab tech appeared in front of him, a green strip running through his spiky black hair. "I have something that might be of interest to you."

"Uh… Floyd, isn't it?" He recognised him from Greg's description.

The kid gave him a toothy grin, ushering him across the hall to the DNA lab. "First of all, I just want you to know that I have total respect for you and I would never do anything to jeopardise our working relationship." He positioned himself between one of the lab tables for safety from the rumoured hot head of the lab, before he continued. "I know we don't know each other that well, but I thought you should know that I gave my number to your boyfriend in hopes of going out on a date. He shot me down. He's so cute you could instantly forgive him, right? His hairs so cool and he's kinda dorky in an adorable way…" Floyd cleared his throat, realising he was getting off topic. "I just want you to know that I won't try anything like that again and I hope you guys will be very happy together."

Nick tried to suppress his smile, taking a step closer to the nervous young man. "Floyd, do you actually have somethin' case related for me?"

Floyd nodded, reaching for the report on his bench. "Blood work from your vics. Both of them have heavy traces of a drug in their system that's commonly used for date rape. Rohypnol." He handed it over, watching the man thumbing through the results. "So, about the other thing…"

"Hey we're cool, man." He lowered the report, giving the kid a look. "But if you try anythin' with him again, just know I'm comin' for you."

Floyd gulped hard.

With a smile plastered across his lips, Nick turned for the door, ready to present the evidence to his boss. He overheard a pair of familiar voices echoing down the hall, taking a few steps closer to investigate.

"Pork chop, perfectly cooked on the grill, served with this honey dew sauce. Mm," Warrick purred at the memory of its juicy flavours caressing his tongue. "I should have taken Tina there when we were still talking. After a meal like that, anyone would be up for negotiating custody."

"She still giving you a hard time on that?" Catherine poured herself a coffee, smiling at Nick as he stepped through the open door. "Hey Nicky, do you fancy a brew?"

"No, thank you. I'm good."

Warrick cleared his throat, continuing his story to fill the awkward tension in the room. "Tina's still going for sole custody with no visitation. She's trying to claim I'm an unfit parent because of the job that I do and the hours that I work."

"That's bullshit." Catherine shook her head. "Eddie tried to claim the same thing with me, remember? There's no way that will hold up in family court."

"At least you actually knew who Lindsey was when you went through all of this. I've only seen my son three times in two years. He's already talking and walking around, without a clue that he has a father out there who loves him."

"I guess that's one good thing about your situation." Catherine motioned towards their silent colleague. "No lengthy custody battles over kids."

"Greg and I want kids." Nick enlightened her.

"Really?" Catherine squeaked. "And you've discussed this with Greg?"

"Yeah." He smiled seeing the confusion on both of their faces. "Why is that so hard to believe? Do you think that because we're two men we shouldn't have kids?" He feared he was about to hear a long lecture from them about how kids needed a mother and a father. His eldest sister's voice echoed through his head, yelling at him that it was a perversion to even suggest such a thing. He didn't have the right to raise children because of his lifestyle choices.

"No," Warrick snapped him out of his fears, giving Catherine a glare. "No one is saying that. I think you'd be a great father. You're practically a father already, Nicky, just without any kids of your own."

"I think so too." Catherine piped in, quickly backtracking her earlier statement. "I was more surprised that Greg would agree to such a commitment. He tries to get out of dealing with big responsibilities around the lab all the time. He just doesn't seem like the type who would want to be a parent to kid that needs a lot of love and attention."

"He's not the same goofball he was who used to dance in the halls with latex gloves on his head." He assured them both. "He's really grown up these last few years. We're plannin' our future together and kids are a big part of that future. We're really serious about each other."

"Deadly serious, I told her you were moving Greg into your place later." Warrick shot Catherine a look. "And she promised not to go blabbing it to the lab gossip this time."

"I swear I didn't mean for it to get out like that." Catherine held up her hand to swear. "I will do whatever I can to make it up to you guys. I'll even be a surrogate if you want some sprogs of your own to fight over."

"Thanks, Catherine." Nick gave her a smile. "But I don't think we're there yet. We'll let you know when we wonna rent out your uterus. Greg's got his heart set on a football team of kids." He teased the woman as he backed out of the room.

"Not a word." Catherine snapped at Warrick, suddenly feeling a pain in her stomach at the thought of holding all those babies for nine months. She wished she could take it back, but what if he took it as a sign that she wasn't comfortable bringing a gay man's baby into the world.

With a heavy sigh, Catherine left the break room, dreading the future strain on her uterus.

* * *

Dropping a handful of books into the box beside him, Greg winced from the pain in his shoulder, holding his hand against it as Warrick and Nick returned to grab more boxes. "Hey, you made it down the stairs with the table then? I packed up my bedroom stuff. I ran out of tape for the boxes though so hold the bottom and top." He gave them a cheeky smile, leaning back as Nick bent down to his level.

Warrick quickly hurried through to the bedroom, still not comfortable with seeing his two best guy friends being intimate with one another. He stumbled over a box in the doorway, kicking out a framed photo of Nick hugging Greg in his arms. His eyes were so full of love and the embrace looked so natural between them, proving that they really weren't rushing into this decision.

Bending down, Warrick returned the photo to the box, trying to be happy for his friends that had been lying to him for the last two years. He knew they only did it to protect themselves from small minded people, but it still hurt.

"Hey Greg, you haven't labelled any of these boxes." Warrick carried the box through to the front room, securely holding the bottom and top to keep the contents from spilling out. "How are you going to find anything?"

"Greg has a system." The control freak in Nick hated the system, but he knew it was just his boyfriend's way. "Put that one in my truck. Anythin' from the bedroom or bathroom goes in my truck. The rest of it can in the U-Haul van, so I can put it straight in the garage on the other end."

"Alright." Warrick nodded, leaving them to it.

"I saw that." Nick noticed Greg wincing for a second time. "I told you not to lift anythin' heavy."

"It's fine." Greg rotated his shoulder, hearing it click as he did. "I finally got my cast off. It just needs some work to get back into the swing of things again. Help me up." He reached his hands out for Nick's, giggling softly as he whisked him straight to his feet. "Is Warrick okay with all of this?"

"Honestly, I think he's glad to have somethin' else on his mind other than Tina and this custody battle over their son." Nick dropped the last of the books into the box at his feet, following Greg back into the bedroom. "I don't know about you, but I'm kinda gonna miss this place. I lost my virginity in this apartment." He reminded him, not ashamed to admit it anymore.

Greg giggled softly, dropping to his empty mattress on the floor. "Don't let Warrick hear you say that. He'll probably plug his fingers in his ears and run screaming from the room." He scooped up his shoes from the floor, dropping them into the empty box by the window. "I think my apartment manager will be happy to see the back of me." He grabbed the last sneaker from his bedside table, dumping it into the box, driving the control freak mad.

Nick dropped to his knees in front of him, placing his hands either side of him. "I'll miss this place. There's a lot of memories here. Our first time together. First time I slept beside someone I loved. First time I told someone I loved them. First lover's tiff." He grinned against his lips. "It's almost a shame we have to leave."

Excitement filled the younger man's eyes. "Think of the fire place."

"Mm," He purred, joining their lips for a kiss. "I can't wait to spend our first night in our new house. This escrow can't close soon enough. It feels like we've been waitin' months already." He leaned in closer. "Once we get the place sorted out, we can set a date for our weddin'."

"I can't wait." Pulling the man into his arms, Greg closed his mouth over Nick's, teasing his tongue into his mouth. He had the man practically on top of him as Warrick walked back into the room, anxiously clearing his throat to let them know he was there. "Ugh, you're such a buzz kill, Rick." Greg giggled softly, flopping back against his mattress. He watched his boyfriend quickly climbing to his feet, still a bit anxious about the PDAs in front of his best friend.

"I'll take that one." Nick grabbed the box from the floor. "The mattress can go in the truck. I'll be back to help you with it. Don't let him lift anythin'." He motioned to his boyfriend.

"A'ight." Warrick waved him off, bending to pick up the last box from the bedroom. "So Sanders," He climbed to his feet, keeps the flaps closed with his hands. "Marriage?"

"You heard that, huh?" Greg scrambled to his feet, pushing the box of his shoes away from the bed. "Don't tell anyone that if you value your friendship with Nick."

"I won't."

"You mean like the rumour of us kissing?" He shot him a look.

"That wasn't me." He assured him. "I talked to Cath about it over dinner and she mouthed off to Mandy. Next thing I know, the whole lab was talking about it. I never meant for it to get out like that. At least now I know who I can trust with my secrets." The man smirked, stopping in the doorway. "You really kept this quiet for two years?"

"Yeah for Nick's sake. He didn't think any of you would understand. His parents weren't exactly welcoming in the beginning. His brother still cracks jokes at his expense. He didn't want to lose his friendship with you too."

"He won't." Warrick gave him a nod of assurance. "Nick and I have been close for years. Yeah, I was pretty bummed to find out that he had been lying to me the whole time. I thought I knew who he was. I never had any real family or close friends growing up. Nick wasn't only my friend, he was my brother. I thought I could depend on him."

"You can. He's still the same, Nick."

The older man nodded slightly. "My Grandma used to say that it's the people you trust most in the world who can hurt you the most. I can see that Nick is happy with you. He hasn't been the same since the whole thing with the coffin, but around you… he's like the regular Nick old again. You're a good catch, Greggo. I know you'd never break his heart."

"Not intentionally." He assured the man.

"And you really love him?"

"With all my heart." He sounded like a dreamy teenager, putting a smile on Warrick's lips.

Feeling as though a ton of weight had just been lifted off his shoulders, Warrick nodded to the younger man. "That's good enough for me."

"Oh and, when he asks you to be best man, remember to act surprised. It'll crush him if you already know."

"I'm best man?" A bigger smile settled into Warrick's lips. "Who's yours then?"

"Sara, I already asked her. Not a word." He put his finger to his lips, giving the man a smile. He bent to pick up the last box in his room, feeling as though his shoulder had been ripped out of its socket. "Ouch."

"Hey," Warrick ditched the box from his hands, helping the younger man to straighten up. "You're not supposed to lift anything. Is it your shoulder?" He eased him into the chair still in his room. He knew he had dislocated his shoulder during the attack, but he didn't realise how bad it was until he saw the pain written all over the younger man's face. "Shouldn't your arm still be in a sling or something?"

"It's fine… just a twinge every now and then. Don't tell Nick, he's worries too much."

"Now you're keeping secrets from Nick?"

Greg cracked a smile at the man. "It's not like he doesn't know already. The control freak monitors everything I do." He cradled his arm against his chest, giving the man a reassuring smile. "I would never hurt him. Little white lies aren't going to hurt him. They're to protect him. I like to keep his stress levels as low as possible. You know better than anyone how hot headed he is."

"Alright," Warrick turned for the door, picking up the box he had dropped. "Don't lift anything." He gave him a warning, before he left the room to follow Nick down to the truck.

"Yes, Mom." He giggled, pulling himself out of the chair. He let his arm fall to his side, wincing softly as it clicked again. He padded through to his front room, checking around to make sure he had got everything. It felt weird packing up the place. He had lived here for nearly five years. It still felt like home, even packed up in boxes.

"Gettin' a case of nostalgia?" His boyfriend reappeared, placing a hand on his hip as he kissed his neck. "My trucks full up now. Do you want me to drive you to my place? You can start unpackin' some of your things, while Warrick and I shift the rest of this stuff."

"Yeah, I guess I could." He dug out his keys from his pocket, untangling the set for his apartment. "I guess I should pack us a bag each for our weekend away at Mom's too." He noted the time on his watch. "You want to be on the road by five, right?"

"Yeah, we're pushin' it." The man sucked in a sharp breath. "We can still make it. C'mon," He slid his hand into Greg's leading him to the door. He paused in the doorway as Greg pulled back, letting him take one last look around the apartment. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. If you're not ready…"

"I'm ready." Greg answered, weaving his fingers between Nick's. "This is the apartment of single Greg, trying to prove to his mother that he really can live on his own without burning the place down. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. Well today is the day I move in with my boyfriend, only to pack up and move again in a few months… but you get the picture."

"You should write weddin' speeches." His boyfriend playfully teased him. "C'mon, let Warrick and me worry about the rest. I'll even give it a quick clean for your apartment manager."

"He already gave me back my cleaning deposit and he still never fixed the kitchen sink. There's still that damp spot on the ceiling too."

"Would you relax, G?" Nick pecked a kiss to his cheek, sensing his nerves. "Trust me, everythin' will be fine."

"Doesn't it feel like we're doing too much in one go?"

"It feels like that now because we're makin' some big steps," He agreed with him. "But we've been delayin' this for two years. Movin' can be one of the most stressful things you can go through, but we're together so I know we can do it. If you're havin' second thoughts, I can go and have a word with your apartment manager about keepin' you on as a tenant?"

"Way to guilt trip me, Tex." He gazed into the older man's big puppy dog eyes. "I love you. Living with you isn't going to change that. I'm just… nervous about how fast everything is moving. A few months ago, we were just breezing through life. Being with you was my calm after being at work. Now it feels like work is my safety blanket because all of this keeps changing."

"I felt exactly the same way when our friendship progressed to intimacy." Nick boldly admitted to him with Warrick in earshot. "I wanted to backtrack and take it all back so I didn't lose you as a friend, but what we have now is so much more than friendship. I love you. You're my safety net for everythin'. We can do things at our own pace, but I know that it'll all work out because we'll still be together."

Greg wiped away a tear threatening to spill from his eye; giving the man he adored a smile. "You should definitely write wedding speeches."

"I plan to." He giggled, pecking another kiss to his cheek. "Are you ready?"

With a firm nod, Greg stepped over the threshold to his apartment door, bravely leaving that life behind him. His stomach was in knots all the way down the stairs, but he trusted Nick and believed in their future.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading!**

**Have a great weekend.**

**~ Holly**


	8. Chapter 8 - Holiday Season

**Chapter Eight – Holiday Season**

"Oh no, I forgot the sweet potato. Hold that thought." Abandoning the gravy boat at the end of the table, Mrs Sanders wiped her sticking fingers down her apron, skipping her way back to the kitchen. She poked her finger into the mashed sweet potato, sucking her finger into her mouth to make sure she seasoned it probably. With a satisfied smile plastered across her lips, the woman carried it back to the dining room, setting it down beside her favourite future son in law. "Alright, we've got stuffing, roast potatoes, mashed sweet potato, roasted parsnips, honey glazed carrots, turnip and stuffing."

"You said stuffing twice." Nana Olaf motioned for her daughter to sit down. "You've clearly been at the wine again, haven't you, Jean?"

"Mom, would you sit down so we can start." Greg had his fork ready and an empty rumbling stomach eager for some food. "It feels like we've been waiting for hours already."

"Wait, I forgot the ham. Daniel, thin slices of turkey." She scolded her husband, prying the carving knife and fork from his hands. "Go and get the ham. I'll finish this off before you butcher it anymore. Use the oven gloves, it's still hot."

"Yes, dear." Daniel pecked a kiss to his wife's cheek, making his way back to the kitchen.

"It's meant to be Christmas, Jean." Her own mother scolded her. "Stress free and fun for the whole family. Not a chance for you to order us about like monkeys in a play."

"This _is_ fun." Jean grinned round the table at her family. "Go on, help yourselves. There's plenty to go around. Nicky, help yourself to anything you want. Let me know if there's anything else you would like."

Nana Olaf wobbled the table from her end. "I think the table might break if you put anything else on it."

"No kidding, there's enough here to last us until New Years." Papa Olaf threw back his second scotch of the night, still waiting to eat the delicious food waiting in front of him. "Are you sure I can't get you one, Nick?"

"No, thank you, sir." The man remembered his manners. "I'm okay with water."

"You don't need one either, Dad." Jean pried the bottle from her father's hands. "Drink champagne like the rest of us. Greg, go and fetch another bottle from your father's study. No, no, Nicky, you stay put. You're a guest here." She stopped him from getting up. "Greg, off you trot." She motioned for him to leave.

"Yes, Mom." The hungry man reluctantly dropped his cutlery, getting up from the table.

"Nicky, would you like another slice of turkey?" She dropped another two slices onto his already heaping plate.

"Leave him alone, Jean. Stop fussing over the man and give him some space." Nana Olaf tapped her fingers against the dining table to tell her off. She smiled at her returning son in law, noting the time on the clock behind him. Her drama show started in twenty minutes. She doubted they'd even be halfway through their meal by then though.

"Where's Greg gone?" Daniel set down the ham in the middle of the table.

"I sent him to fetch another bottle of champagne." Jean ushered her husband to his seat, grabbing the pot of roasted parsnips. "Nicky, you don't have any parsnips. Help yourself to the sweet potato. It's Greg's favourite."

"Here you are." Greg returned with a new bottle of champagne, dropping back into his seat. "Can we eat now? I'm starving."

"Me too." Papa Olaf complained. "And you took away my scotch." He wiggled his empty tumbler.

"Daniel, open that." Jean forced the champagne bottle in his direction, running for the dresser against the wall. "I've got Christmas crackers in here somewhere." She fished out the box, tearing them open to dish them out. "Remember no cheating and you have to wear the hat."

Watching his boyfriend dollop a huge spoonful of sweet potato onto his heaping plate, Greg couldn't help but giggle. "Why don't you just bin your knife and fork then you can get more on, Tex?"

"Hey, who you callin' moron?"

"You gorgeous." He gave the man a playful wink.

"Stop flirting and take this." His mother handed him the other end of a cracker. She placed one in her other hand, giving the other end to her husband. "Alright, everyone take one end each." She watched them all taking one end of a cracker each, until everyone's hands were full. "One… two… three… Pull!"

The crackers cracked simultaneously, along with the cheers of the happy family members.

Greg fished out his hat from inside the tube of his cracker, unfolding the crinkled red paper, before he placed it on his head. He watched his boyfriend doing the same, before the man leant forwards to seal a kiss to his lips.

"Merry Christmas, baby." Nick whispered across his lips. He wouldn't dream of kissing the younger man back at the ranch in front of his own parents, but no one here even gave them a second look.

"Merry Christmas." Greg smiled back, finally grabbing hold of his fork to fill his empty stomach.

"Don't forget to read your joke." Jean piped in, holding up her reading glasses so she could read hers. "Alright, what does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney?"

"Too easy. Claus-trophobia!" Greg blurted out the answer. He fished out his tiny slip of paper, sniggering before he had even read it out. "Why did Santa's helper see the doctor?"

"No idea." His mother positioned her green hat in her honey blonde hair.

"Because he had a low elf esteem!" The man cracked up.

"That's awful." Nana Olaf cringed. "Your Papa could think of better jokes."

"Is everything alright, Nicky?" Jean noted how quiet he was.

"Yes, ma'am. Thanks again for invitin' me."

"Oh nonsense," She giggled softly. "You're family now, love. You're always welcome, any time you want. Right, Daniel?"

"Of course." Daniel topped off his wife's glass of champagne. "I'm sure you're used to wider spreads than this growing up with six siblings."

"Yeah, they're pretty chaotic compared to this though. My Mama has all the women in the kitchen, while my Dad entertains the kids outside with beer and cigars for the men."

Jean immediately shot her son a look. "You didn't." She mimicked the motion of a cigar in her mouth.

"No, no." Greg quickly shook his head. "I was… in the kitchen with his mother and sisters." He lied a little, knowing she would probably be upset over the football game too.

Nana Olaf gave her grandson a knowing smile. "Is it normal for southerners to have such large families, Nick?"

"Mother." Jean hissed at the woman.

"It's a reasonable enough question, Jean. You already put a limit on my questions the last time he was here." She scolded her daughter, putting her hand beside her mouth as she whispered to Nick. "We had a little family meeting before your arrival. She sat us all down and gave us a list of topics that were completely off limits. Apparently you were overly sensitive to the 'g' word and we weren't allowed to ask you about stalkers, coffins, ants or your truck being vandalised. Oh and the Lord. She was worried you might be super religious living on the bible belt."

"Mother." Her daughter hissed, turning bright red.

"Really, its okay, Mrs S." Nick tried to suppress his smile, grateful she even thought of him. His own family didn't even consider his feelings before they blurted things out.

"You really did that?" Greg gave his mother a curious look.

"I just wanted him to feel comfortable here. I'm sorry, Nicky." She placed her hand over her heart to apologise. "I really just wanted you to feel at home here. You're the first serious boyfriend that Greg has ever had. We can see how much you care for each other and we wanted you to feel as much a part of this family as Greg is."

"No need to apologise, Mrs S." He reached for Greg's hand, weaving their fingers together. "I really do feel at home here. Greg mean's the world to me and all of you mean the world to Greg, so that makes you important to me too."

"Uh oh, here come the water works." Papa Olaf smirked, watching his daughter trying to find herself a tissue for her tears. "You're making everyone uncomfortable now, Jean."

"It's not Christmas without a good cry." Jean sniffled back her tears, excusing herself from the table. "I'll go and grab more gravy. Everyone alright for drinks?"

The table raised their full glasses, watching the woman hurrying away to the kitchen to touch up her makeup, before she grabbed the spare gravy boat off the side.

* * *

"Ow," Nick rolled onto the middle of their bed later that night, loosening his belt to try and get comfortable. "I am completely stuffed. If I eat one more thing, I might explode."

"You didn't _have_ to have seconds or thirds, you know." The younger man giggled, waving to his Nana as he pushed the door to their room closed. He shed his shirt at the foot of the bed, kicking off his shoes so he could step out of his jeans. He clambered on top of his boyfriend, hearing him groan as he perched himself on his hips. "You're a hit with the whole family. You really didn't have to eat three slices of pumpkin pie just to get on my mother's good side though. She already adores you."

"I love pumpkin pie." He uncomfortably shifted himself against the bed. "Your Mom kept pilin' the turkey on my plate at dinner though. It was a little dry… even with the gravy she kept pourin' on the plate."

"You _are_ allowed to refuse. In the Sanders clan you don't have to eat everything on the table. We usually have enough left overs to last us the whole of the Christmas holidays." Greg popped open the man's fly for him, tugging his shirt out from his jeans to make him more comfortable. "Did you have a good Christmas, Tex?"

"The best." Nick placed his hands on the younger man's thighs, giving him a wide smile. "I love your wacky family. Your grandparents are a hoot. They're always bickerin' and windin' each other up. In my family they argue and resent each other, and they actually mean it, but your lot love each other through it all. My Mama thinks I'm punishin' her in some way by livin' like this with you, but your Mom loves and supports everythin' you do. I'm a little envious of that, but I know I don't have to be, because this is my family too."

"Damn right it is." Greg burst into an explosive grin.

"One more thing," Nick eased himself to a sitting position, smoothing his hands towards the younger man's hips. "When we get married, I want to take your name. I know it'll really piss off my family, but I want to be a part of this family more than I do my own. The Stokes family are compulsive liars. They make us hide who we really are to fit into their perfect little world and they push out anyone who doesn't fit their ideals. I love your wacky, overprotective mother. Your Dad actually hugs you in front of people and doesn't feel awkward showin' that he loves his family. And you're the pride and joy of your grandparents. I've never had anywhere near this much love and support from anyone, until you came into my life. You are all I want. All I've ever wanted."

"Wow," The man gasped for breath. "Are we writing our own vows? Because you should definitely include that in your vows."

"I've been considerin' it." He giggled softly, tickling his fingers up the younger man's spine. "I think my Dad will pitch a fit when he hears that I want to be Mr Sanders, but it's all I've been thinkin' about lately. Hey maybe he'll come around to it. He seems pretty open to the idea that I'm marryin' a guy now."

"Are you sure you don't want to hyphenate? Stokes-Sanders or Sanders-Stokes has a nice ring to it."

"No, I want to be Mr Sanders. I'll keep Stokes for work, but for everythin' else I want to be Nicholas Parker Sanders."

"Wow, I…"

"Sorry boys," Jean burst into the room, holding a stack of towels. "Not looking." She shielded her eyes with one hand, ditching the towels on the nearby dresser. "There's some towels for you. If you need anymore, check the closet at the end of the hall."

"Mom, how about some privacy?" Greg snipped at her, holding his boyfriend's naked chest close against his own. "You can't just barge in like that."

"It's alright, nothing I haven't seen before." She backed herself towards the door, still averting her eyes. "Goodnight, sweethearts. Love you."

"Love you too, Mom." He groaned softly, watching the door slowly closing. Before he could relax, the door popped open again, revealing his mother's head. "Mom, please."

"Just a minute. I just wanted to say I love you too, Nicky."

"Love you too, Mrs S." He waved the woman off, chuckling softly as he flopped back against the mattress. "See, completely wacky. My folks would have run screamin' from the room if they saw us like this." He winced from the pain in his stomach, starting to wish he had stopped at two slices of pumpkin pie. "I think I might throw up if you keep bouncin' up and down on me like that." He warned the younger man.

"I was just pulling your jeans off." Greg tossed them to the floor, pulling the covers out from under the man. He snuggled in beside him, settling the covers over the top of them. "I love that you get on so well with my family. I knew they would like you." He leaned in close, tracing the man's earlobe with his tongue. "Do you want me to rub your belly, baby?"

Nick burst into a grin, rolling his head to the side. "We sound like an old married couple already."

"Do you think we'll make it?" He gently rubbed his hand in soothing circles across the Texan's protruding stomach. "Forty two percent of marriages end in divorce. That number is probably higher in Las Vegas. At least seventy percent of the lab and police department are divorced or on their second or third marriage. Look at Ecklie, Brass, Catherine, Warrick… what if we end up hating each other."

"We'll make it." Nick placed his hand over Greg's. "I know because I love you more than anythin' in the world. I've never felt anythin' like this for anyone before, so I know it's the real thing."

"I'm sure Warrick thought the same of Tina."

Nick shook his head. "He married her after my abduction because she was pregnant with Elijah. He never had the kind of relationship with her that you and I have. He wasn't exactly thrilled about his surprise marriage gettin' out either." He reminded the younger man, touching his hand to his cheek as he pulled him in for a tender kiss. "I'm marryin' you because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. When I say til death do us part at the altar, I'll mean it. You'll see, our love will stand the test of time."

"We're having an altar, are we?" Greg propped himself up on his elbow beside the man's head, giving him a curious look. "What else are we having?"

"I haven't really thought through _all_ of the details yet, but I think we should keep it as traditional as possible. I kinda want an aisle with your family on one side, mine on the other. We each make our way down the aisle towards the altar separately, symbolisin' the fact that we're comin' from different backgrounds. We can have someone who can officiate or one of those gay friendly ministers. I want to write my own vows to you, along with a few of the traditional ones… for better or worse and all that. Exchange of rings, our first kiss as newlyweds then the recessional. We walk down the aisle together, followed by the weddin' party and go on to our after party."

"Haven't thought about it much, huh?" The younger man smirked.

Nick chuckled softly, brushing his thumb across Greg's fingers. "Okay, I admit it. I've kinda had my heart set on a traditional weddin' ever since I was a kid. When I was seven I was ring bearer for my Aunt Leanne's weddin'. I saw how happy she was walkin' down the aisle towards her future husband and I couldn't wait for it to be my turn."

"And you didn't know you were gay then?"

"Oh, I knew. I just had to hide it to survive in the Stokes household. When I was fourteen my sister, Lillian was plannin' her weddin'. She came round every day with stacks of weddin' books. My Mama was her personal weddin' planner. I could sit there for hours and flip through those things, pickin' out the centre pieces I wanted, the flowers, music, even my groom's suit." He gave the younger man a wide smile, pecking a kiss to his chin. "It doesn't even have to be anythin' big, just as long as you're there and I get to put a ring on your finger, I'll be happy."

"Your happiness is the most important thing to me." Greg inched closer, resting his head against the man's shoulder. "I just know that I can't lose you. I love you."

"You better, you're marryin' me after all."

Greg giggled softly, fanning his hand in front of his face as Nick's achy belly started to expel excess gas. "Ugh… you and your stomach."

"Comes with the package, I'm afraid." The older man chuckled. "Still love me, baby?"

"Always."

* * *

Shielding the sun from his eyes, Nick looked out at the big beautiful ocean, allowing a smile to spread across his lips. "Okay, you were right. This _is_ better than champagne and strawberries in a fancy hotel." He agreed with his partner, looking out at the horizon. Waves of blue crystals crept along the sandy shore, before crawling back. He watched the process repeating itself over and over, amazing by every lick.

It was beyond magical.

"C'mon, it's even better up close." Lacing his fingers between Nick's, Greg raced his way down the sandy beach, running for the tide just starting to come in. He planted his sand crusted feet in the path of an incoming wave, feeling his partner trembling as the salty water sprayed his feet.

"Oh… my God, that's freezin'." He tried to back away.

"Keep your feet planted, the next wave won't be so cold." Greg pulled him further in, the waves catching their knees. It took some convincing this morning, but he finally managed to get Nick dressed in a t-shirt and shorts for their trip to the beach.

Nick felt the water running through his toes, grains of sand scratching against his icy cold skin. He clutched Greg's hand a little tighter, laughing with him as the next wave came up to their waists, soaking their shorts. "Argh… I literally can't feel anythin' anymore. Is there a reason we had to do this today of all days? I have to drive us back to Vegas in a few hours, freezin' my nuts off."

Greg giggled, releasing the man's hand to face him. "The reason I brought you here today is because we're going back tonight, so I won't be able to do this." He kept himself stable as a wave pushed through them, keeping hold of the gift in his pocket. "I know that you already kinda asked this question while we were in Texas, but I wanted to put my own spin on it. Getting down on one knee holding a ring box sort of says it all, but it doesn't say how much you mean to me."

"Here?" Nick felt goose bumps creeping their way up his legs.

"Yeah, I wanted to bring you to one of my favourite places in the world and this is it. My Dad and I spent many weekends here, jumping waves, swimming in the ocean, digging for treasure, collecting shells. I spent most of my childhood out here dreaming of what my future would be like. Now I want my future with you, it seems only right that we should start it here." He held out the box with one hand, clearing his throat as he recited his speech he had been planning in his head for weeks. "I love you with all my heart. We've been friends for years and my love for you continues to grow every time that I'm with you. You are the most beautiful, caring, amazing person I've ever met and you've always been there for me when I needed you. My family adores you."

Nick smiled in response, biting back his tears.

"I can't imagine my life without you anymore, Nicky. When my Papa Olaf got my Nana pregnant with my Mom, she thought that her life was over. Her family kicked her out, she had a baby on the way and she hadn't even finished school. My Papa Olaf bought her this ring with every penny he had saved up and got down on one knee to propose to her."

Greg popped open the box, revealing the simple band that had a little wear to it, but the infinity times infinity sign was still etched inside.

"My Nana punched him in the nose and gave him a black eye right after he did it," He cracked a smile. "But after he promised that he would always be with her, not just because of the baby in her belly, but because he loved her, she said yes. They got the infinity sign etched into it when they could finally afford to get married."

"Won't they miss it?" Nick asked through his tears.

"On their fiftieth wedding anniversary they renewed their wedding vows and got new rings. Nana has had this one squared away in her dresser ever since. She said I could have it on the day I introduced you to her. I told you she has a sixth sense about these things. She knew before I did that this was in our future." He shivered as another wave crashed into their shorts, making his parts shrivel from the cold. "Ugh… that's so cold. So, what do you say, Nicky? This is your last chance to back out of the Sanders clan."

"I'm not backin' out." He promised him, his teeth starting to chatter from the cold. "I would seriously like to back out of this ocean though, but I appreciate the sentiment." Nick smiled wider then he had in years. "Of course I'll marry you, Greg."

"And wear the cheesy family heirloom?" He adjusted his feet in the sand, feeling them sinking deeper with each wave.

Shaking his head, Nick struggled to speak through his emotions and chattering teeth. "It's not cheesy to me. It means so much more than that. I actually feel bad about my proposal now. I didn't even get you a ring. This… this is thought out, sentimental… and… freezin' cold."

"Yeah, I suppose I should have waited for it to get slightly warmer."

"It doesn't matter." The older man shook his head. "It's memorable. It's a perfect Greg surprise and I'll never forget it. In fifty years our grandkids will be beggin' us to tell the story of how you proposed again."

"Wow, in fifty years we have grandkids?"

"Hey by then we might even have great grand kids." He grinned back, seeing the fear in the younger man's eyes. "Relax G, we've got years to prepare for kids, grand kids… you'll be used to it by then."

"Yeah, I was just trying to picture you in fifty years." Greg examined the other man's features a little closer. "Do you think you'll still love me as much as you do now?"

"I think I'll love you more after bein' with you for that long."

"Stop with the sentimental stuff, cowboy, you're gonna make me tear up again." Greg fanned his hand in front of his eyes. His lips broke into an adorable smile, making Nick's heart soar. "Good, now that we've got that settled. Who's up for a hot chocolate and a warm car?"

"Me." Nick wasted no time in running away from the next wave, catching his partner for a kiss while they still had the ocean in their sights. "I can't believe you're more romantic than me. I'm supposed to be the sentimental one. I can't even remember if I got on one knee to ask you to marry me. I certainly didn't think of a ring."

"Geeks rule!" The younger man declared with a giggle, planting the family heirloom on his fiancé's finger. "Don't worry, Nicky. You still win at a lot of things. I _loved_ your proposal. When we tell our future kids or grandkids, I'll make sure I spruce it up a bit with champagne, rose petals and you down on one knee with a harp playing in the background."

"Lyin' to our children already, G?" Nick threw his head back in laughter, admiring the ring on his finger. "I won't fudge any of the details of your proposal. It's perfect." He whisked the younger man around in his arms, sealing their lips for a tender kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love _you_ so much." Greg parroted, matching his smile.

"Where's that hot chocolate you promised me? I am freezin'. I told you I shoulda kept my jeans on. Maybe I have a sixth sense too, G." He chuckled, dragging his partner back towards the parking lot. "I don't do shorts for a reason, honey. And this is one of those reasons. We didn't even bring towels."

"I did." He skipped ahead to the car, popping open the boot. "While you were busy moaning about your legs being exposed, I packed us a bag of supplies." Greg tossed a towel in the man's direction, giving him a wink. "See, I planned ahead. I didn't bring other supplies, for you know what." He playfully wiggled his eyebrows. "But I got the essentials. Who loves you, gorgeous?"

"You." He admired the ring on his finger again. He had always envied his sisters for finding love, showing off their rings and getting married in front of all their friends and family. It had always been the one thing he so desperately wanted, but thought would forever be out of his reach. The ring around his finger now proved that he could reach it and he deserved love just as much as them.

Greg gently nudged his side, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Ready for hot chocolate? There's this little coffee shop right around the corner. They even have delicious pastries."

"Yeah… I'm ready, G." Nick gave the younger man a smile, feeling as though he was on cloud nine right now. "You know this is officially my best Christmas ever now."

"Your best Christmas so far." Greg corrected him, popping open the passenger side door for him. "We've still got a lot of Christmases ahead of us."

"Do you really think you can top this one?"

"I think I can." He gave him a grin. "Stick around and you'll find out."

Nick closed the gap between them, sealing a kiss to Greg's lips. "I plan to."

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading!**

**Have a great weekend.**

**~ Holly**


	9. Chapter 9 - Revelation

**Chapter Nine – Revelation**

Strolling through the grocery store with his crumpled shopping list in his hand, Greg sighed, wishing he was anywhere but here right now. Grocery shopping had to be one of the most boring chores of his adult life. He would rather be knee deep in sludge, searching for clues to a case than stuck going aisle to aisle searching for every last item they needed on his list. He stopped short of the frozen food aisle, watching a man and his wife or girlfriend arguing over which bag of frozen peas to buy. She barked something back at the man in Spanish, throwing the bag of frozen peas that she wanted into their cart.

He wished Nick was here so they could argue over frozen vegetables.

Greg lowered his gaze as they stormed past him, feeling his phone vibrating against his hip. "Ugh Mom, at least give me an hour to myself." He groaned, sensing exactly who it was before he even answered it. He knew he shouldn't have told her that he still had a few days off from the lab. She saw it as a chance to constantly hassle him about every little detail of his life.

He thought she would ease off now she knew about Nick and him, but her fears seemed to have only doubled.

With a sigh, Greg plucked his phone from his pocket, smiling as he saw another name flashing across his screen. He immediately felt butterflies bubbling in his stomach, feeling like a kid on Christmas morning. "Hey. Is your shift really that boring without me, Tex?"

_"Completely. Even the criminals are dull."_ Nick ducked into the locker room, popping open the lock to grab his things. _"I'm actually on my way out. Cath and I finished up early. Suspect was too stupid to cover his tracks. Where you at?"_

"I took the hint over that grocery list you stuffed inside my favourite coffee mug."

_"I thought that might get your attention."_ He chuckled softly, perching himself on the bench to change his shoes._ "I figured since you're off for the next three days you could restock the cupboards. You know since you ate most of my food anyway. I didn't realise how much you tucked away until you were livin' with me twenty four seven. Are you almost done?"_

"Uh," Greg struggled to straighten out his list, trying to figure out how much he had actually picked up. "All I have left is… your shaving foam to find and I assume the 'something for dinner question mark' part means I have to figure out what to buy."

_"That's the general idea, G. For tomorrow night. It's the first day of a whole new year, so I figured we could eat in together."_ Pulling his jacket on over his shoulders, he smirked, _"And you used up all my shavin' foam. You left the empty can on the shelf. I cut myself twice with the razor tryin' to shave this mornin'." _He smoothed his fingertips across his shredded jaw line._ "I didn't realise you shaved so much before we actually started livin' together and sharin' everythin'."_

"Any regrets on that part?"

_"On livin' with you full time?" _The man paused a moment to keep him in suspense. _"Never. This is what I've wanted all along. I'll just have to double stock all the stuff you like to borrow."_

"It grows quickly and you buy the sensitive stuff that doesn't make my skin burn." Greg stroked his chin, feeling some spiky bits of stubble already. "You're so lucky you only have to shave every three or four days. I'm surprised you even managed to grow that porn stash at the rate your hair grows."

_"Yeah that was a bad choice." _Nick rubbed his lip as he closed up his locker. _"I was goin' through a phase. I used to have a full goatee back in Texas. I thought it would make me more dateable but I could only get it grow on my lip evenly without it lookin' like I had mange."_

"Now that I would have liked to see," Greg tried to picture the man of his dreams with a full goatee. "The goatee not the mange." He clarified, before he realised what he had said. "Wait, more dateable? Whose attention were you trying to get by growing this extra facial hair?"

_"I can't tell you that. My fiancé might get jealous."_ Nick laughed into his phone, nodding to Catherine as she stepped into the locker room. _"Hey, do you want to join us for some drinks later? Catherine said she's buyin'."_

Catherine rolled her eyes at the man, retrieving her purse from her locker. _"I said one round only. I'm on a budget after Christmas. I'll see you there later. I have to pick Lindsey up from her friends and take her round to my mother's. We're off to see the fireworks display for the kids." _She waved goodbye to him as she left the room, bumping into Warrick just in time to remind him about their little gathering.

"Drinks for New Years?" Greg queried, heading for the men's hygiene aisle in the store. "I thought you didn't like the whole party scene around New Years Eve?"

_"I don't. Not really." _He combed his fingers back through his hair, checking the familiar signs of exhaustion around his eyes in the mirror. He really needed a good night sleep, but he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to be out with his friends and fiancé._ "It's just a few people from graveyard shift. We never get to celebrate things like this and we kinda deserve it after the last year we've had. You deserve it more than anyone and I kinda want a traditional New Year's kiss with my fiancé in public."_

"We kissed last year." Greg reminded him, not falling for his buttering up attempt. "By the Bellagio fountain. It was practically our first public kiss."

_"Yeah but we were the only two people there and you weren't my fiancé then."_ He pointed out to him. He cleared his throat, asking,_ "Are you sayin' you don't want to go out with me tonight, G? We're not even down the aisle yet and you're already turnin' down the chance to spend a night out with me?"_

"Nice manipulation technique, Tex." Greg smiled into his phone, finally landing his hand on the shaving foam for sensitive skin. He rolled his eyes, giving out a heavy sigh. "Fine, I'll go with you. If that's what your heart really desires. Wow complete role reversal there. I thought I was the party guy and you were the guy who would rather stay at home and watch TV."

_"You're getting' old, G."_ He playfully teased him.

"Maybe I'm a bad influence on you, but you're a good influence on me. My Mom will be thrilled." He giggled. "Have you already eaten?"

_"No, I'm about to." _He waved to his colleague through the window of the door. _"Warrick's buyin' me dinner. It's a chance for us to catch up, but I promise you'll have me all to yourself tomorrow night."_

"Okay, when and where?"

_"It's a new club on the strip,"_ Nick retrieved the card from his pocket that Catherine had given him earlier. _"It's called The Ivory Vortex. Cath said around eleven thirty."_

"You're inviting me out to a strip club on New Years?" Greg spoke a little too loudly, receiving some odd looks from the other shoppers. He cleared his throat, presenting an older lady with a warm smile as he hurried down another aisle that wasn't so busy.

_"It's not a strip club."_ Nick assured him. _"Trust me; it's better than it sounds. From Catherine's description it's a place the rich and powerful go after a long day of work to get away from the common riff raff. It says on the card that it has a classy cocktail bar with a dance floor and a live DJ playin' easy listenin' music. She has connections now, so she managed to get us reservations under Willows. Will I see you there?"_

"I guess." He answered rather unenthusiastically.

_"I can come get you if you're worried about…"_

"It's fine." He cut the man off. "I'll be there."

_"Alright, I love you."_

"Love you more." Greg snapped his phone shut with a sigh, realising he was stood in front of a large selection of pregnancy tests. "That's just perfect." He shoved his phone back into his pocket, feeling his nostrils tingling from a familiar smell. He tilted his head to one side, realising why. "Sara?"

"Huh," The startled woman dropped what she was holding, turning to face the man. "Greg? Oh, hi," She lunged forwards to hug her pseudo baby brother tightly in her embrace. "What are you doing here?" She was relieved to see his normal features back. The last time she saw him he was still a swollen bruise. She could still see the evidence of old wounds that hadn't quite healed yet, but he was finally starting to look like his old self again.

"Grocery shopping." He held up the list from his hand as evidence. "You're back. It feels like you've been gone for weeks. Where did you go? I didn't even see you after I got out of hospital." He cast his eyes downwards, feeling the blood draining from his face as he saw what she had dropped. "No way. I knew it!"

"Shh," She put her finger to her lips, leaning closer to whisper, "Please Greg, you can't tell anyone. I haven't even told the father yet."

"You mean you already know? Wait it is," Greg checked their surroundings to make sure they were alone, before he whispered, "Grissom, right?"

"Yes," She hissed back, her cheeks burning an even brighter shade of red. She struggled to catch her breath as her nerves bubbled their way to the surface. "I can't believe this is happening. I'm not the kind of person who forgets to use birth control or something to stop this kind of thing from happening. I've never had the desire to be a mother. I never exactly had one that I could really look up to growing up. There's no way I would ever want to inflict my childhood on someone else…"

"Sara," He grabbed her hand to keep her stable. He had seen enough panic attacks to know that she was on the verge of having one. "Just breathe." Greg gave her a reassuring smile as she lifted her gaze to meet his. "You're going to be okay. Better than okay, you'll be amazing."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do." His smile spread a little wider. "Sara, you're not your parents. Your mother didn't raise you. You talk about your foster mothers all the time. They raised you right. Taught you right from wrong, made you into the woman you are today. You'll be an amazing mother because you know what the alternative is like."

Sara cracked the slightest smile, quickly retrieving the box from the floor. She shoved it into her basket under a few other things, feeling her heart rate starting to normalise again. "Please don't tell anyone about this. Not even Nick. I don't want anyone else to know."

"I won't." He made a cross over his heart. "I promise."

"Is it corny to tell the father on New Year's Eve? I don't even know how he feels about kids. He'll go out of his way to avenge the murder of one on a case, but he does everything he can to avoid speaking to them if they're around the lab."

"I don't know. I think he's always gotten on pretty well with Lindsey." Greg pointed out to her. "I don't think it's corny at all. You know if he doesn't give you the answer you're hoping for, I'm always…"

"Greg," She frowned at him. "You're with Nick now."

"Here for you." He finished his original sentence, flashing her one of his adorable smiles. "I'll always love you Sara, just not in the way that I love Nick. I should have known you preferred older guys." He sucked in a breath. "You can introduce me to your baby as Uncle Greg. I've always wanted to be a cool uncle. They can brag about me to all their friends. And I'll even babysit. Not when they're a baby. I can't do all that messy diapers and constant tears stuff. But when they're talking and walking around, I'm your guy."

"Thank you, Greg." She leant forwards, giving him another quick hug. "I was terrified about coming back here. Now I feel like I never should have left, especially you… I couldn't have picked a worse time to walk out on you."

"I'm fine." Giving her his best smile, he assured her, "I really don't need a crowd of people constantly hovering around me to make sure I'm okay. It's the exact opposite of what I want at the moment, but I am glad you're back. The lab hasn't been the same without you."

"Really?" She gave him a surprised look. "You're back to work already?"

"Yeah. Well they've shackled me to the lab for now. I'm on strictly light duties until Ecklie and Grissom decide that I'm no longer made of glass. I can't wait to get back out into the field."

"I'm sure Grissom just wants to make sure you're ready before you step foot out in the field again." Placing her hand over her heart, Sara whispered, "He's always had a soft spot for the people on his team. I swear he thinks of you all like his own children. He would never admit that part, but he worries more than a supervisor should." She took a step back, letting another customer by them to grab herself a pregnancy test. She looked as though she was still in High school, barely able to take care of herself let alone a newborn, bringing Sara's anxiety back.

If she couldn't handle a baby then what chance did Sara have?

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sara shook herself out of her thoughts. "Can we please get out of this aisle now? We're surrounded by pregnancy tests and diapers. It's a little obvious if anyone sees us."

"Sure." He turned his shopping cart around, getting them back to safety. "Do you have a few minutes to spare for a coffee with an old friend?"

Sara returned his smile. "I'll always have time for you, Greg. I've got a few hours to work up the courage to finally tell Gil that he's going to be a father anyway." She gripped her basket a little tighter to her stomach.

"No offence intended, but I don't think presenting a pee stick to a man is a way to his heart."

"Yeah," Sara quietly concurred. "Oh, I got one of those scan things if you want to see it." She remembered, rifling through her handbag to find it. "Here… damn," She smoothed out the crumpled image in her hands. "This was going to be my first choice to tell him."

Greg took the crumpled image from her hands, giving it a curious look. "I've never really had the chance to study one these in detail, but this looks pretty baby sized, not one of those weird alien shrimp things that you usually see and have to nod along as they point out the parts to you."

"Yeah… I know," Sara silently followed him through the store for a moment, before she admitted, "I'm twenty four weeks. It's a girl. They told me at my last scan. I've known that I was pregnant for a while… I was just hoping that it would go or wait until I was ready to deal with it. After what happened to you, I was terrified that I might lose it being at the lab, so I had to leave to clear my head a bit. I know what I want now… I'm just terrified that he won't want the same."

"You won't know until you tell him." He pointed out the obvious to her.

"Yeah… I know." She sighed softly, wishing they could stop talking about this. It was all she had been thinking about for the past few weeks and it was really starting to get on her nerves. "So, what's going on with you and Nick? Are you doing anything for New Years?"

"I'm being dragged out to a club against my will for a few drinks, but we're good. Actually, I have a little announcement of my own to tell you."

"Oh god, you're not pregnant too are you?" She teased him.

"No." Greg shook his head. "I properly proposed to Nick finally and I have a little surprise laid out for him."

"You proposed to Nick?"

"Yes." He laughed at her response. "Who else would I marry?"

"I thought he already proposed to you. Is that how it works with guys?" She found them a reasonably empty checkout on the end.

"I don't know. I'm kinda making it up as I go along." He cracked a grin. "If you buy me a coffee I'll tell you all about it."

"Deal." Sara set her basket on the conveyor belt, giving the young pimple faced cashier a smile.

* * *

"En-gaged?" The word caught in Catherine's throat. She set her wine glass down to avoid throwing it everywhere. The music was pretty loud in the club and there were lots of people talking all around them, so maybe she just misheard him. "Seriously, Greg and you… engaged? You've only been dating for five minutes; don't you think this is rushing into things?"

"Two years." Nick drunkenly corrected her. "I've been datin' him for two amazin' years. You've only known for a few weeks, but we've been together for just over two years now. And yes I'm serious about him and I want to marry him because I love him more than anythin' in this whole wide world. And he totally gets me. You know when you just click with someone instantly and you're like… where have you been my whole life?" He dreamily stared off into the distance. "Greg gets me."

"But do you get Greg is the real question?" Catherine cackled.

"Wow," Mandy took a second look at the ring on his finger. "Go on then, tell us the juicy details."

Nick shook his head, waving his finger in the air. "I don't kiss and tell."

"Unless it's a fake story about one of your ladies," Hodges remarked, wishing he had never bothered to come with them. There was still no sign of Wendy and the evening wasn't getting any better the more his colleagues drank. "Why do people even celebrate this?"

"Oh cheer up," Mandy groaned, pushing another shot in his direction. "Get that down your neck."

"I'm not really one for shots." Hodges pushed it away.

"Wait, wait," Catherine ran her fingers back through her hair, pointing a finger at Nick. "Greg proposed to you over Christmas? How did he do it exactly?"

Nick polished off his ring, trying to remember all the details. "Well, he promised me this big surprise. We were drivin' for about… twenty, thirty minutes, before we arrived at his favourite spot in the world. The beach where he practically spent his childhood with his father. It was freezin' cold in the water, but he gave me a whole speech of how he used to go there as a kid and picture his life when he was older."

"Aww," She cooed. "Who ever thought Greg Sanders would be capable of romance?"

"There's many things you don't know about, Greg."

"I need the ladies." Mandy finished her drink, slamming her glass down against the bar. She searched around for her bag, before she attempted to get up. "Catherine?"

"No, I'm good. I want to hear more about this. Let's see the ring again," Catherine leant over the bar, watching the man clenching his fist to present the ring to her. "Oh, very nice." She studied it closer, noticing the tarnish around the edges. "Oh, I thought with Greg's salary he could afford something a little more high end. Did he win it in a pinball game or something?"

"Hey, it's a family heirloom." Nick stared at the ring in admiration, giving it another quick polish with the sleeve of his shirt. He took it off around the lab to protect it from damage or theft, wearing it on a chain around his neck instead. His finger felt vacant without it. The constant reminder of it felt as though a small part of Greg was always with him. "It's priceless."

"Well in that case, I'm very happy for you. Both of you." Patting her colleague on the shoulders, Catherine gave him a smile, before she motioned for the bar tender to refill their empty glasses. "Same again. Where are the others?" She glanced at her watch. "They're going to miss it at this rate."

"Lab. Work. Same old, same old." Mandy returned from the ladies with a fresh coat of red lipstick, plopping herself down on one of the bar stools. "I'm back there as soon as this little celebration is over."

"Better stay away from the hard stuff then." Catherine slid the tequila shot away from her colleague, ordering her a water instead. "Ecklie will have my head if he hears about our little celebration in the middle of a shift."

"I'm off shift." Nick grabbed his beer bottle by the neck, taking a quick swig.

"Some New Year's Celebration this is gonna be." With less than four minutes to go, Catherine didn't have high hopes that she was going to get a kiss from her favourite man this year either. "Well, just us three then."

"Four." Hodges reminded them that he was still there, drowning his sorrows in a perfectly aged scotch.

"As if anyone could forget about you," Catherine presented the man with a smile, putting her back to the bar to search for a good looking man in the crowd. "If push comes to shove for the midnight kiss, I think you should take Hodges and I'll take Mandy." She teased her newly engaged colleague. "We could always kiss and leave the nerds to an awkward lip lock."

"I'll pass, thanks." Nick pulled his phone out to check for any messages, hoping his fiancé got here soon. Since Ecklie finally heard the rumour floating around the lab that they were dating, he had put a limit on the hours they spent together at the lab. He had barely seen him for more than four hours since they got back from Greg's parents in California.

"How are you coping being on separate shifts?" Catherine gently elbowed his side, recognising the look in his eyes. "You miss him, don't you?"

"Like a heartbeat." He smirked. "It's not all bad. We're both still under Grissom's supervision, so there's no chance of a repeat of what happened before. It was pretty exhaustin' tryin' to keep the whole thing secret in the first place, so it makes me a little relieved that we are finally _out_. But on the other hand, I want things at the lab to stay as normal as possible. I've already got some looks and the obvious back away and avoid from the deputies isn't exactly comfortin'. If I _was_ in danger on a scene, would they actually help me or be too afraid to go near me?"

"It won't be forever." Catherine placed her hand on his. "Look at it this way, you're finding out who your true friends are. I was pretty shocked when I heard the news. I mean Greg was pretty obvious. He's into all kinds of kink and he's been known to date girls and guys ever since he started at the lab, but you've always been the sweet talking ladies man."

"I'm not a ladies man though."

"No, your Greg's man." She cheekily giggled. "That's what shocked most people. It's like finding out Santa isn't real for most of the women around the lab. Don't forget you actually dated a few of them in the early days. Jacqui feels like you used her to boost your rep or something."

"It was just dinner. We didn't even kiss and she paid for her own meal. It wasn't a date in any way shape or form."

"Okay then," She racked her brain, trying to think of another lady let down by the lab hotty. "How about Davina Granger from the sheriff's department? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you guys dated for at least three weeks before you broke up with her. You must have kissed her at least once."

Nick nodded his head slightly, throwing back another swig of his beer. "I did. We only went on a few dates before she started bringin' up marriage and kids."

"So you two never…?" She pried.

"Nope. She tried though. She booked us a hotel room, cracked open the mini bar as soon as I arrived and tried to get me into bed. She ended up drinkin' herself into a coma from the nerves. I left her sleepin' while I hit the hotel bar."

"What about Sofia?"

"Hey, she kissed me." He protested. "I almost fell down a set of stairs when she did that. She caught me completely off guard."

Catherine threw her head back in laughter, tapping the back of his hand. "Of course, you're just a victim to your good looks." She giggled softly. "Do you have an excuse for every woman you dated?"

"Yes." Nick gave her a grin. "I'm gay, Cath. I dated women to fit in. I'm not proud of it, but I never took advantage of anyone."

"Mmhmm," She hummed, breathing in a deep breath before she brought up a painful moment from his past. "What about Kristy Hopkins? Was that all just to cover up who you really were?"

Nick softly bit his bottom lip, before he shook his head. "No. I… I really liked her. I knew what she was and what she did for a livin', but I felt a connection to her. I was lonely. I could never tell my family or anyone else who I really was. Kristy… her folks threw her out on the streets when she was still just a kid. She never had a chance to be somebody. Before she died, she wanted to make things better. She had plans to go back to school, get out of that life. I kinda admired her for that."

"Did you love her?"

"No. It wasn't that kind of relationship." Nick shook his head, tipping back his beer bottle. He gulped it down, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "Yes we had sex, you already know that. I can't be the first gay man to sleep with a woman for comfort. Besides, she wanted to repay me for savin' her from Jack. I hadn't been with anyone in three, four years before her." He confessed. "It wasn't for love or anythin' like that. It was for a connection with another person. It helped me feel a little less lonely, empty inside. Greg is so much more to me than that. He gets me."

"Wow," Catherine grabbed her full glass of wine, giving out a soft sigh. "I always thought you just did it for a quick roll in the sack with a babe like her. What red blooded man wouldn't want to bed a beautiful woman like that?" She sighed softly. "I'm surprised you didn't try to find yourself a male prostitute."

"I'm not really into the payin' for sex thing." Nick chuckled softly, shaking his head at her. He leaned in a little closer, whispering, "I was a virgin before, Greg."

"Greg popped your cherry, huh?" She grinned into her glass of wine. "You don't want to play the field a little before he drags you down the aisle?"

"I've done other things with guys." He enlightened the woman. "Greg's the first one that I really let inside. He knows all my secrets, he always knows how to cheer me up or calm me down and he won't have to drag me anywhere. I'll go willingly. I love him more than anythin' in the world. He really gets me."

"Naw, you're so drunk on Greg." She put her arm around him, adoring the look in his eyes. "You've got yourself a keeper there, Nicky. Apart from the fact that he's about to miss kissing his fiancé on New Year's eve, he's okay in my books."

"He'll be here. He promised me." Nick nodded. "Greg always keeps his promises."

"I guess we'll find out."

"Oh, this is it." Mandy checked the time on her phone. "Ready for the countdown? A whole new year awaits us. Look out 2007, here we come!"

_"Ten… nine… eight…"_ The crowd in the bar started the countdown.

Hodges tapped his empty glass, watching the young bartender topping it up while he checked his messages. He was still waiting for Wendy to return his last text, but he feared he had ruined it for good with her after he cancelled on her for plans with his mother.

_"Seven… six…"_

Mandy slipped the bartender a few bills while Catherine was distracted, ordering herself a set of shots to drown her sorrows. Another year single and alone while her little sister was about to bring baby number three into the world. It wasn't fair.

"Well, just you and me, Nicky." Catherine turned to look at the man, giving him a warm smile.

"Not quite." Nick lowered his beer, lighting up at the sight of a beautiful young man pushing his way through the crowd trying to find a partner. He ditched his beer on the side to meet him halfway, taking the man into his arms.

_"Three… two… one… Happy New Year!"_

After a tender kiss, Greg stroked his fiancé's cheek, whispering, "Happy New Year, Nicky."

"You made it." Nick tightly embraced him in his arms.

"Of course I did." He adorably giggled, initiating another kiss as the crowd started to scream in excitement. "Did you doubt me?"

"Not even for a second. Mm, I missed you." He kissed him again, instantly feeling the tension of his night at the lab draining away. "Celebratin' New Years Eve without you didn't feel right. I'm glad you made it." Nick hugged him a little tighter in his arms, gently swaying their bodies together as the music started up again. "Come dance with me."

"Not yet. I need you to come outside." Greg gently pulled away. "I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Nick furrowed his brow. "What kind of a surprise?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I just blurted it out, would it?" He cracked a grin, leading the man by the hand. "Come outside. C'mon, don't you trust me?"

Nick returned his smile. "I trust you with my life."

Catherine watched the two men leaving the bar, sighing heavily as she turned to face the cute young bartender. She adjusted her blouse to show off a little more cleavage, ushering him closer to order another drink. "Looks like you got a raw deal working on a night like this."

"It's not so bad." The younger man shrugged. "I've got two weeks off after this. I'm taking my boyfriend to San Francisco to meet the folks. We're getting married in January."

Catherine sighed again. Of course he was gay. He was cute, good looking and he could actually smile unlike her late husband. She raised her glass, throwing back the shot with one gulp. "Congratulations. I think I'll call it a night." She grabbed her purse from the bar stool, pushing her way through the lovey dovey couples towards the exit.

Bursting through the doors of the bar, Catherine breathed in a deep breath of fresh air, ready to call it a night and head home to her daughter. She paused at the edge of the parking lot, watching Greg covering his hands over the man's eyes as he led him to his car.

"Okay stop," Greg kept his hands over his eyes. "Keep those eyes closed. No peeking." He cautiously took a step away from him, popping open the back door to his car. He returned to Nick's side, playfully jabbing his hip. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Nick slowly opened his eyes, blinking his eyes together a few times in disbelief. "Wh-what are you doin' here?"

"Surprise! Happy New Year, baby brother!" His sister, Vicki threw her arms around her brother's shoulders first. She was wearing a glittery pink sash over her cocktail dress with a fluffy tiara in her brunette hair. "I haven't hugged you this hard since you left for college." She laughed in his ear.

"My turn." His other sister, Gwen tipsily stumbled into him.

"Are you drunk, sis?" He chuckled softly, holding her upright.

"Best New Years Ever!" She declared to the world. "We should definitely do this more often."

"Stop embarrassing yourself, Gwendolyn." Jillian scolded her daughter, clambering out of the car. "Hello, sweetheart."

Nick had tears in his as he moved toward her, hugging her gently in his embrace. He really wished he hadn't drunk so much. He didn't even know if this was real or some elaborate fantasy.

"Oh sweetheart," Jillian Stokes gently smoothed her hand up and down her son's back. "I love you so much. Never forget that. I am so sorry for everythin' that I said or did to you when you trusted us with this." She pulled back, gently stroking her fingers through his tears. "Your father would have come, but he wasn't feelin' too good and didn't quite fancy a girls night out on the town." She snickered softly. "When Greg told me that you were planning on getting married, I thought I'd hop on a plane to show you my support and your sisters wanted to come with me."

"You did this, G?" He looked towards his fiancé.

Greg nodded his head. "I know you've been feeling like you didn't have any love or support from back home. My family threw us a mini engagement party after I gave you my Papa Olaf's ring and I saw the look in your eyes, especially when my Mom started talking about the guest list. You were worried that none of your family would come, so I called your Mom to prove to you that you have their support."

Jillian took her son's hand, giving him a warm smile. "Honey, I am so very proud of you. Of course you have my support." She squeezed his hand in her own. "All I've ever wanted is for you kids to be happy. I thought you having a good job, a steady income and a nice home of your own meant you were happy. I didn't realise how _unhappy_ you were until you brought Greg home with you. I admit I was very cold towards him in the beginning," She gave the younger man an apologetic smile. "I wasn't ready to meet him. You had only just told us that you were… I needed a moment to digest it before I met him, but that's no excuse for the things your father and I said in the beginning. We were ignorant."

"It's not your fault, Mama."

"We were. Don't make excuses for us. We own up to our mistake. Your Aunt Georgia's daughter killed herself because she worried her family would never accept her for being a lesbian. And one of your father's cousins tried to hang himself in his college dorm after he had a one night stand with another man. Thankfully his roommate found him before any damage was done, but his family didn't exactly welcome him back with open arms after he tried to commit suicide,"

"Oh Mama," Gwen stopped her there. "We're supposed to be celebrating. Don't be so morbid. I am way too drunk to have this conversation. And Nicky looks as though he's about to pass out."

The drunks snickered softly.

"Sorry, sorry," Jillian adjusted the tiara on her head, giving her son a smile. "My point was I don't want you to feel as though that's your only way out of this." She clutched his hand a little tighter, looking into his big brown eyes. "I would rather have you alive than anything else. Your happiness is more important than anything else, especially after what you've been through. I won't turn my back on you. Greg is a decent man and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better."

"Thank you, Mrs Stokes." Greg gave the woman a smile.

"You are most welcome, sweetheart." She reached out for the younger man's hand, looking between the two men. "I would absolutely love to come to your wedding. I would even like to help you plan it, if that's not too much to ask. Nicky tells me that he loves you with all his heart and I believe him. I can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice when he talks about you. I've been through it enough times with my daughters to know that you're the real deal."

"Funny how you didn't believe Anthony was the real deal though." Gwen scowled at her mother.

Greg burst into a grin, adoring the tears pooling in his fiancé's eyes.

"I _am_ serious about him." Nick slid his hand into Greg's free one. "And we would love for you to come. We haven't exactly set a date yet, but we wouldn't mind havin' you help us plan it."

"Excellent." The woman grinned widely. "I've planned five, nearly six weddings in my time. Good thing your sister did back out of that one with Paulo. I had my suspicions about him from day one, but I never would have thought he had a secret double life as a drag queen of all things."

"Mom!" Vicki hissed, embarrassed that she would even bring that up. "What happened to not telling a soul about that one?"

"Oh relax, Greg's family now." She giggled softly, pulling them both in for a hug. "I love a June wedding myself. Your father made us wait until September for our wedding. Much too cold for an outdoor wedding. August would have been nicer. The trees just starting to lose their leaves, so many colours and that crisp fall breeze…" She continued to ramble.

Nick gave his fiancé a smile as he realised what he had let himself in for, falling a little bit deeper in love with him for making such a grand gesture.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Just a warning that there might be a delay in uploads for the next few weeks. I've had two deaths in the family since my last upload in September ****and a third isn't looking so hot at the moment either. I'm going to take a little break from writing to spend more time with the family, so the chapters will take a little longer to beta. I've completed up to chapter 14 so far, but they still need some work.**

**I hope you understand and can forgive me for the delays.**

**Have a great weekend!**

**~ Holly**


	10. Chapter 10 - Behind Schedule

**Chapter Ten – Behind Schedule**

Checking the time on his watch, Nick realised they were going to be so late at the rate his fiancé was moving this morning. He grabbed the freshly brewed coffee mug off the side counter, leaving the rest of his cereal to make sure that the younger man was even out of bed yet. He padded down the hallway to his bedroom, finding the bed still unmade, a wet towel flung over the end and last night's clothes in a pile beside it. He used to make his bed every day and leave his room in perfect order, but since Greg had moved in the upkeep had been a little harder to keep on top of.

This whole room made his OCD brain spiral into a panic attack at the moment. He knew that living with someone after so many years alone would be an adjustment, but he didn't realise it would literally turn his whole life upside down.

The wall next to the bed was still stacked high with boxes of Greg's stuff. His chest of drawers was overflowing with both of their clothes and it was starting to look a little cramped and crowded. Even the walls didn't look the same with the painted samples everywhere. His realtor suggested that giving the place more light would help him sell it quicker, but it didn't look right. The bedroom had always been a dark brown shade with thick black curtains to block out as much light as possible while he slept in there during the day.

"C'mon Greg, we're goin' to be late." He tapped his knuckles against the bathroom door, before making his way inside. Even the sink counter was loaded with Greg's hair products, his dozens of bottles of shower gel or shampoo that only had a little bit left inside them and the little smears of toothpaste he dropped everywhere.

"You didn't leave me any hot water."

"If you got up earlier you could have had all the hot water you wanted." He watched the younger man clearing the cobwebs from his eyes while he brushed his teeth, wishing he could let him stay home another night rather than sending him out in the field. "Here this will help wake you up." He presented him the coffee mug from his hands. "I told you to go to bed earlier last night."

Greg rolled his eyes, bending to rinse his mouth out before he grabbed the coffee mug from the man's hands. "You know you're beginning to sound a lot like my mother."

"Is that really a way to greet your fiancé?"

"As soon as he stops parroting my mother, I might greet him properly with a kiss." Greg ditched his toothbrush in the cup beside Nick's, giving the man a smile. He slid his arm around his partner's waist, pulling him in for a minty kiss. "Mm, I love you… but you can really be so annoying in the mornings."

"Is it really that annoyin' to be punctual?"

"Yes." He playfully jabbed the older man in the side. "I feel like I'm reliving my teenage years with my mother trying to coax me out of bed to go to school. Believe it or not, I managed to get myself dressed and ready for work long before you ever arrived on the scene, Tex. I don't need you monitoring every little thing I do. If you want to go to work early, go. I have a car, I can drive myself in. I don't need a babysitter."

"I wasn't babysittin' you." He protested, feeling his back hitting the counter as Greg pushed him aside to get to the mouthwash. "It's just… we hardly get to spend any time together as it is. Our car rides are one of the only times we get to be alone together. It feels like since you moved in, I've actually seen less of you because we don't even make time to be together anymore."

Greg threw back a mouthful of the minty fresh liquid, holding his finger up to Nick while he quickly swished it around his mouth. He bent to spit it out, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he straightened up. "You are adorable, Nicky, but I really don't need you to wait for me."

"Are you sayin' you don't want to spend time with me?"

"Not at the expense of your career." Greg cracked a smile, playfully tapping the end of the other man's nose. "You're so cute and you're going to be so late if you spend another second in your little fantasy world. We can do plenty of other things together. We literally just slept beside each other for four, nearly five hours." He consulted the time. "I don't want you to be late for work. So, go." He pushed him in the direction of the door.

"Did you just bop me on the nose, Sanders?"

"Yep," Greg breezed past him. "What are you going to do about it, big guy?" He backed away slowly, bursting into a grin as the hungry Texan lunged for him like a tiger pouncing its prey. He closed his eyes as the man sealed a ravenous kiss to his lips, squashing him between himself and the wall behind him. "You are going to be so late if you keep this up."

"Late," Nick gasped for breath against his lips. "But happy." He gently brushed his thumb across the younger man's cheek, adoring the look in his eyes. "Lucky for me, my fantasies came true the day I met you."

Greg threw his head back in a giggle, playfully pushing the other man away from him. "You're so corny. You forget that Grissom knows we're dating now. We can't both stroll in late and expect people not to notice anymore."

"You know that's the second time you've turned me down this week." He pointed out to him. "You're not havin' second thoughts about marryin' me, are you?"

"Hey, for the record the first time I turned you down was because I had a dodgy stomach after that suspicious Thai food you made me eat." Greg protested, returning to their room to finish getting dressed. "Which by the way was at least two hours alone together. And this time, I just don't want you to get in trouble. Now go." He blocked him from following him into their room. "I love you. Be careful. Now go to work."

Nick sighed softly, admitting defeat. "You too." He leant forwards to steal a quick kiss from his lips. "I made you lunch. Don't forget to take it with you."

"You made me lunch?" Greg's heart soared as he stole another kiss from the delicious older man's lips. "Yep, you're definitely a keeper. We should check the schedule when we get in, see if we can get a few days off together." He slid his arms around Nick, holding him close. "I love you, Nicky. Now go. I don't want Grissom to be mad at you too."

"He's not mad at you." Nick assured him, gently swaying their bodies together. "It's just his overprotective thing to try and keep you safe. You know what Gris is like. He doesn't deal with human emotions well, so he figures that keepin' you on the bench is the best way to help you get past this."

"He's lost faith in me. He doesn't trust me to do my job."

"It won't be forever." Nick rested their heads together, grateful that someone else was looking out for the man he loved. He wasn't about to complain about it since it felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "You just have to prove to him that you're okay and you can do this."

"Nice try, Tex. Quit stalling," Greg cracked another smile, gently pushing him away. "Go to work already. I'll be fine. I'll see you later."

"Yep," Nick sighed heavily. "Don't forget your lunch."

* * *

"Good Morning, Greg." Grissom removed his glasses, watching the younger man hurrying around the conference room table to find himself a seat. "Sorry to inconvenience you." He sarcastically remarked, sighing softly as he resumed his presentation on the kidnapping case the whole lab had been assigned to. As much as he hated cases like this, he liked the fact that everyone pulled together and worked as a team, doing whatever it took to get the job done.

Greg covered his hand over his mouth as he yawned with exhaustion, wishing he had at least got four hours of sleep before he was called back in again. It wasn't fair on his brain to push it this hard, but he wasn't about to let the team down his first day back out in the field.

He couldn't wait to get started.

"Earth to Greg." Catherine snapped her fingers in front of his face, handing him the evidence bag again. She rolled her eyes as the disoriented younger man's eyes darted around the room, recalling where they were and what they were supposed to be doing. "C'mon Greg, I need your head in the game for this one. Not in the clouds. A fifteen year old girl has been abducted."

"Right, I know. Sorry." Greg shook his head to shake away the cobwebs, labelling the evidence bag for her. "I just pulled a nineteen hour shift with less than an hour of sleep between." He reminded her, yawning widely once again. "I'll grab another coffee when we take this back. I should be alright for another five or six hours after that."

"I know me too, only I had the school run in between and Lindsey wasn't exactly in the best mood this morning. Trust me, we're all feeling it but Ecklie insisted on the backup. Honestly, he only has two decent CSIs left on his team now, so we're all this girl has. Mother's hair brush?" Catherine double checked he labelled it right, before she made her way over the other side of the room to find something the father used. She didn't see a whole lot of hair on his head during the press conference, but he had a biker sized beard that must have dropped a few hairs somewhere in the house. "Just stay focused and you'll be alright. We can't afford any screw ups on this one."

"Because she's the daughter of a Judge?" Greg quipped. "I suppose all the other abductions we've worked weren't good enough."

Catherine flashed him a smile. "Don't worry, we're all thinking it. Ecklie's trying to get in this Judge's good graces, so he pulled all of us to work backup to his team solving the case. He knows we're the best, he just won't admit it to our faces. He'll probably take all the credit for himself once we solve this. A hundred bucks says this girl is round her boyfriend's house having the time of her life." She retrieved her flashlight from her vest, taking a quick peek at the contents of the man's naughty drawer. "Either that or she's hiding out at one of her girlfriends house, trying to get more attention from her mother."

"My money is on the father." Greg followed her round the double bed. "Ex convict, drug addict and he couldn't stop crying during the press conference."

"You realise that could mean he's just a loving father. Don't you believe in second chances?" Warrick interjected, rejoining them in the parents' bedroom. "If Elijah was missing for that long, I think I'd be in tears too." He handed Greg another evidence bag. "I got this from the daughter's bedroom. There should be plenty of hairs on there for Floyd to work with."

"He could be crying out his guilt." Greg suggested, labelling the next bag. "Maybe he got into an argument with her, killed her then waited a while before he reported her missing. He's been in prison for assault on a previous ex wife."

"Did you see the photo of the ex though?" Catherine pushed the drawer closed, clicking off her flash light before the battery died again. "Even the wedding photo looked like a mug shot from America's most wanted. Maybe she had something to do with her sudden disappearance. Her boys get scraps while this girl gets a villa, her own car, anything her heart desires."

"You changed your theory pretty quickly there, Cath." Warrick called her out. "What about the stone faced Judge? She didn't even shed a tear and she answered the presses questions like she was in a court room. She even admitted that she and her daughter weren't close."

"Mother's and daughter's are never really that close." Catherine spoke from experience. "Especially teenagers. It's like a rite of passage to puberty."

"My mother and I got along fine." Wendy piped in, giving the CSIs a smile. She had her long brunette hair tied back in a ponytail, finally wearing her brand new CSI field vest. She wasn't thrilled that her first case was just as a backup, but it was better than being stuck in the lab forever. "I've got toothbrushes." She held up the bags from her hands. "The Judge even had a few of her daughter's old baby teeth in a jar, so we've got blood. How are we doing on hair?"

"Greg's got them." Catherine pointed her towards the evidence bags in his arms. "We still need something on the father though."

"The baldy?" Warrick frowned at her.

"He had a beard, Warrick. When Eddie grew a thick beard like that, I was forever finding them stuck in the bed sheets or in the collar of his t-shirts. He was really proud of this boar hair comb he bought too, until he shaved the whole thing off then the comb went straight in the trash."

"What's the deal with this Judge anyway?" Wendy gave them all a curious look. "Why is everyone so terrified of her?"

"She's notoriously known for handing out maximum sentences on even the most minor offences. That and she's a woman in power. Any man would be terrified." Catherine flashed her male colleagues a grin. "I'll check the bathroom. He must have a razor somewhere."

"How'd she end up marrying this guy then?" Wendy lifted one of the photographs from the dresser.

"Ever hear the expression love is blind?" Warrick asked her, jotting down some notes in his pad. "Hey, look at Greggo."

"Ouch." Greg held his hand over his heart. "You realise you just wounded your best friend who isn't here to defend himself on that one."

"He'll get over it and know that I'm totally joking." He caught the scowl Wendy was giving him. "What time is Nick getting his ass in gear for this one? He's usually first in line to help out a kid."

"He's already working." He answered. "Nick has the pleasure of interviewing all of Harper's friends with Captain Brass. Ecklie wanted to split us up. Apparently he finally heard the rumour that we're dating and he doesn't want our relationship to screw this case up. I tried to point out to him that we've already been dating for over two years and it's never affected a case, but he pointed a finger at me and said 'give me an excuse, Sanders'." Greg mimicked the action.

"Oh, you're on the man's shit list now." Warrick chortled. "You're lucky he's not splitting you up across shifts. Candice from swing shift barely gets to see her husband at all now that Ecklie's put him on day shift."

"Candice got married?" Wendy whipped her head around. "When? Why wasn't I invited?"

"Because she had a quick Vegas styled wedding like this one." Catherine pointed to Warrick. "No one was invited, just the Elvis impersonator." She sighed softly. "I'm not finding anything on the husband. Maybe we ask to pull out a few hairs? He'd probably make us get a warrant."

"He's a convict, right?" Wendy remembered. "His DNA should already be on record. All we really needed was the daughter's, unless you think he's actually involved."

"Tell me something," A voice startled them all from the opposite doorway. "Why does it take four CSIs to gather hair and toothbrushes?" Ecklie frowned as he looked between them all. "Stop gossiping and get back to work. In case it slipped your mind, a fifteen year old girl has been missing for just over thirty six hours. This is why my guys are working the teen's car and you were tasked with gathering hair and toothbrushes to exclude the family."

"Alright Conrad, we get it, you're in charge." Catherine grumbled, pushing herself to her feet. "We're here because your team now only consists of two members. Why did you neglect to tell the press conference that this isn't the first time Miss Harper Myers has gone missing?"

"Judge Myers didn't want them to know. Now if you're done," He motioned for them all to leave. "Ms Simms, I want you working primary on this case back at the lab. I don't want any screw ups on this one. Keep Floyd out of it."

"But it's my first day out in the field." Wendy complained.

"We've got enough CSIs working on one thing as it is. I need someone I can trust back in the lab." He cast his beady little eyes in Greg's direction.

Greg rolled his eyes, following his colleagues out of the house. He stomped his feet down the stairs, annoyed that he was being benched again. "Why does it suddenly feel like I'm back in High school?"

"That guys on a serious ego trip." Warrick popped the trunk to his Denali, helping the younger man to load in their evidence. "Cath, you need a ride back to the lab?"

"No, I'll wait for Grissom." She motioned back to the house. "We're going door to door with Sofia; apparently there was some commotion in the neighbourhood the other night. Last time anyone saw Harper."

"Good luck." Warrick waved to her, opening the passenger side door for Wendy to climb in. He noticed her checking her phone as she climbed inside, reading a message from a David.H. "Another text from Hodges? You can't leave him in the lurch forever. Just tell him he's not your type already. Anyone can see that you're way out of his league."

"I'm not leaving him in the lurch." She stuffed her phone back into her pocket, pulling the door closed.

"Smooth, Warrick." Greg closed up the back of the truck. "Yep, definitely High school." He shuddered at the thought of ever having to go back there. He dropped into the back seat of the Denali, checking his own phone for any messages as they took off for the lab.

"If you're not leaving him in the lurch then why don't you put the poor guy out of his misery and just give him an answer?" Warrick continued the conversation. "It's not like the guy really has a chance with you anyway."

"Ouch." Wendy hissed. "That's not very nice. He was just texting me to ask if I was okay. He's just worried about me. I think it's kinda sweet."

"Hodges, sweet?" Greg grimaced at the thought.

"He can be very sweet." Wendy protested, turning in her seat to look at her colleague. "After all the shit everyone has given you over Nick, I thought you of all people would understand, Greg."

"I'm sorry." He stuffed his phone back into his pocket. "I didn't mean it like that. Hodges and I don't exactly get along at the best of times, but for what it's worth, I think he's a pretty decent guy and you could do so much worse than him. You could probably do better too, but I'm not one to judge."

"Thank you. I think that was a compliment." Wendy gave him a slight smile, turning to face the front of the truck again. "That's a lot of traffic. What's the hold up?"

Warrick reached for the car radio, clicking it on to see if there was a traffic update. He sighed as he overheard the reporter talking about a four car pileup accident on the very road they needed to take back to the lab. "Feel like walking, Greg?" He grinned at the younger man in his rear-view mirror.

"No, thank you." He shuddered at the thought of being on his own on these streets.

"Shall I call in a police escort?" Wendy tried to beam her excitement too brightly.

"No, we'll wait it out." Warrick started flipping through the stations, trying to find some music he liked. "Shouldn't take them too much longer to clear it. Besides, it's not like we're transporting anything that takes priority. Ecklie will probably cite us for wasting resources."

"No please, not the hard core rap." Greg complained from the back seat. He sunk lower in his seat, hoping to get some shut eye while they waited, but it was impossible with the beats of the music banging through his skull.

* * *

"Any luck?" Captain Brass caught up to Nick outside the school counsellor's office.

"Yeah, accordin' to three of Harper's girl friends, she's datin' a guy named Troy. I just spoke to the school shrink and she mentioned that Harper reported some trouble in paradise two weeks back. She didn't say he got violent with her, but the shrink saw a bruise around her wrist like he had grabbed her."

"You got a last name on this Troy?"

"Yeah, Fletcher." Nick consulted his note book in his hand. "He's seventeen and he's on the school football team. The coach was my next stop."

"Leave that to one of my guys." Captain motioned for him to follow him. "One of my deputies found broken glass and what looks like blood in the parking lot. I just got word from Metcalfe working the site of Harper's car. She's missing a window in the back and there's broken glass all over the back seat."

"Are you sure Ecklie would want me workin' somethin' so sensitive?" He reminded him of the speech the man had given him. "He said I could look but not touch anythin' I found."

"He's not here. I don't see any other CSIs out here and I'm pretty sure the forecast said rain, so we better hurry up and preserve this evidence." The Captain led him outside, pointing him over to where one of his deputies was standing. "I just got word that there's a huge accident holding everyone up, so Ecklie's guys won't even be able to get here to secure the evidence. I'll go find this coach and see if this kid, Troy Fletcher came into school today."

"Alright, see yah." Nick nodded to the man, gulping softly as he saw a deputy he used to go to the gym with guarding the very scene he needed to process. He hadn't really spoken to the man since everything came out about him and Greg, but he had been on the receiving end of a few death glares since then.

Swallowing his nerves, Nick cautiously made his way over to the man, receiving the very same look. He half expected him to walk away or try to pick a fight with him, but he just remained silent, staring at him from a distance only adding to the tension between them.

"Let's get this over with." Nick gave himself some encouragement, snapping on some gloves to get to work.

* * *

"I still can't picture the two of you sneaking off for a quick kiss in the supply closet." Wendy smiled round at their back seat passenger. She finally managed to convince Warrick to shut off the music, so they could carry on a conversation without their ears bleeding. "Especially that tiny one near Grissom's office. It barely fits one person. I always bang my elbow on that wall just opening the door again."

"You'd be amazed." Greg returned her smile, remembering more than a few quick stolen kisses in that closet.

"Can we not?" Warrick struggled not to cringe. "I really don't want to hear this. My ears are bleeding now." He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, hoping this traffic would move soon.

"C'mon Warrick," Wendy frowned at the man. "I thought you were okay with…"

"It's not that." He stopped Wendy from opening up old wounds. "It's the thought of my friend and Greg sneaking around the lab acting like teenagers right under my nose. Thinking back on it now, a lot of it makes sense, especially that frigging turkey sandwich." He rolled his eyes at himself for not seeing it sooner. "It still hurts thinking about it because I thought Nick was my friend, my brother. It turns out he's been lying to me this whole time. It feels like a betrayal."

"Hey you weren't exactly open about your marriage." Greg piped in. "You never even mentioned the fact that you had a baby to anyone either." He felt his stomach growling with hunger after the mention of the turkey sandwich, wishing they could stop to grab a bite to eat. "Hey do you mind if we make a pit stop?"

"You want to eat when there's a missing girl out there?" Wendy frowned at him. "Is this what it's always like out in the field?"

"No, this is what it's like when your hands are tied working backup to Ecklie." Sighing, Warrick complained, "This is just typical Ecklie for you, always thinking he's better. If Grissom had the lead on this one, we'd be halfway to solving it already. Instead all we've got is an abandoned car on the side of the road, while we're off collecting hair and toothbrushes. It's a total waste of our time and he knows it too. He's even got Grissom doing door to doors, nowhere near the neighbourhood where her car was found. The man's an idiot."

"He's just trying to impress the Judge." Wendy defended the man.

"Meanwhile her daughter is out there somewhere and every hour that ticks by there's less of a chance of finding her alive. Ecklie needs to get that through his thick skull and let us do what we're trained to do instead of all this frigging red tape." Warrick sat forwards as the traffic finally started to clear. He could see an ambulance taking off in the distance, along with a section of police tape keeping people away from whatever happened. "Now cases like this are going to suffer because the backup shift is already working backup to a kidnapping that could have been solved if Ecklie just gave us the freedom to do our jobs."

"Drunk driver would be my guess." Greg guessed by the officer giving the young woman a breathalyser on the side of the road. "Wait, wait…" He wound down his window as they got closer to get a better look. He couldn't believe it. He had been looking at pictures of this teen all morning. Her hair was a little darker and she had a smear of blood down the side of her face, but it was definitely her. "Case closed. We found Harper."

"What? Seriously," Wendy had to check for herself. "There's no way."

Warrick frowned as he looked for himself, realising he was right. "Alright, Greg jump out."

"What? Why me?"

"You saw her first. I'm driving and I can't leave Wendy at a scene by herself. So you're up, Greggo." Warrick pulled over to let him out. "I'll radio ahead. Stay with her."

Gulping down the lump in his throat, Greg reluctantly climbed out of the car, flashing his badge as he approached the crime scene tape. He cringed at the sight of the other car involved in the accident, hoping the driver in the back of the ambulance was alright.

"Hey, Greg Sanders. Crime lab." He approached the officer taking notes.

"Hey Sanders, I'm Diaz. That's Bishop." The deputy pointed to his partner clearing the traffic. "Watch your step." He led him through the broken bits of car towards his squad car. "Our young driver back there jumped a red light and clipped the other driver. He was unconscious when we arrived on scene, but he started to come around as they were bringing him out of the car. He was a little banged up, but the medics thought he was going to be alright. There's another ambulance on the way for her. She said she blacked out behind the wheel. No alcohol in her. Her name is Anna…"

"Harper Myers." Greg corrected him.

"Her?" The man looked a little confused. "Isn't she the missing girl that Day Shift are looking for?"

"Yep, looks like we found her first." He smugly smiled, before he approached the teen sat in the back of the open police car. "Hi Harper, I'm Greg. Whoa, whoa… it's okay," He blocked her escape, raising his hands either side of him. "I come in peace, I swear."

The teen sighed heavily, dropping back into the car. "Did my father send you?"

"No," His CSI brain kicked in. He knew the father was involved somehow. It was just the vibe of the man, especially during the press conference. "Your mother reported you missing. Can you tell me what happened here?" He motioned over his shoulder towards the accident.

"I don't want to see my Dad."

Nodding softly, Greg bent down to her level, seeing the fear in her eyes. He recognised that look all too well. It was a look of vulnerability he had seen in his fiancé's eyes more than a handful of times. He didn't want to assume too much, but his CSI brain was already building a picture of what happened to her in his head.

"Alright, we don't have to see your Dad. I just want to know what happened to you."

"Why do you care?" She shot him an angry look. "No one ever cares, they just want me to shut up and disappear."

"Hey, I'm still talking to you, aren't I?" He flashed a small smile. "Did you think that running away was your only option? Have you tried talking to your Mom?"

"She doesn't care." Harper dropped her head into her hands. "I feel sick."

"The ambulance will be here soon."

"Not that kind of sick." The teen pulled her legs up onto the seat, hugging her knees close to her chest. "She never sees. She doesn't care what he does because she needs him. She doesn't have anyone else. Without him she would be even more miserable than she is now. He left us once before and she tried to kill herself. She can't function without him."

"Your father?" Greg gave her a curious look.

Harper gulped down the bile threatening to rise in her throat, feeling a tear rolling down her cheek. "I couldn't stand to be in that house anymore. I didn't want her to call me a liar. She always takes his word over mine."

"Why would she call you a liar? What did he do, Harper?"

"I want to go."

"Hold on, let's get you checked out first." He stopped her from getting up. "I'm not going to call your father. I just want to make sure that you're okay. Why did you run away?"

The teen sat in silence for the longest moment, before she whispered, "I… I had an abortion. I didn't want to go back home after."

"Is that why you have the fake ID?"

"Yeah… my friend, Troy… he got the fake ID for me so they didn't have to ask for my parents' permission. I was going to run away after but I passed out behind the wheel after the operation. I don't want to see them." She shook her head. "I just want to go."

"Let's get you to the hospital first." Greg saw the second ambulance pulling up. "I'll make sure your father can't get to you. I promise." He gave her a reassuring smile. "I think you should try talking to your mother. If she hears your side of things…"

"You don't know what she's like." Harper shook her head. "The papers are right when they call her cold hearted."

"I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders together slightly. "I saw her clutching a cardigan that belonged to you back at the house. She was holding it close, waiting for you to come back. She told my boss that she's always thought of herself as a mother first. She didn't want us to treat this case any differently just because she's a Judge. She just wanted you back."

Harper pursed her lips together, wishing her mother was here. "Do you think she'll really listen?"

"I'm sure she will if you give her the chance."

* * *

Feeling his stomach growling with hunger, Greg's mind flashed back to the sandwich his fiancé had lovingly prepared for him. The delicious sandwich that was still boxed up and sitting in the mini fridge in the crime lab's break room waiting to fulfil its destiny. "Hey, boss." He sprang to his feet at the sight of his supervisor. "Harper's in with the doctor now." He motioned towards the room in front of him. He hated hospitals, but he promised Harper that he would stick around.

"Good work, Greg." Grissom checked to make sure they had the right girl. "Did you get a statement from her?"

"More or less." He shrugged his shoulders together. "Uh, she confirmed that Troy from school helped her to plan the whole thing. He dumped the car for her. He got her the fake ID so she could get an abortion too. She doesn't want him to get into trouble for any of that though. He was just trying to help her. Have you spoken to the parents yet?"

"Yes, Ecklie is downstairs with them now. The press are with them." Grissom pointed out the television hanging over the nurses' station, featuring the return of the Judge's daughter.

"Did you tell him…?"

"Not yet, Conrad wasn't exactly in the listening mood." Grissom shook his head. "I've told Brass. All his deputies are informed. I've got Wendy and Warrick down at the abortion clinic. Troy is at the station telling Nick everything." He anxiously bit his bottom lip, worrying how this one was going to play out. "Can you stay with her until Catherine gets here?"

"Yeah," Greg stayed put by the door, feeling chills running down his spine as the parents pushed their way through the double doors to the floor. "What are we going to do about them?"

Grissom took a step forwards, pursing his lips together as Ecklie joined the parents in their pursuit to see their daughter. "Conrad, stop." He put his hand up to stop him.

"Out of the way, Gil. Judge Myers wants to see her daughter."

"I can't let you do that." Grissom stood his ground.

"Judge Myers," Greg stepped forwards. "Your daughter would like to speak to you alone. She has something she wants to tell you."

Mr Myers stepped forwards, practically launching himself at Greg. "What right do you have to keep me from seeing my daughter?"

"Step aside, Gil." Ecklie commanded. "This is ridiculous."

"With all due respect Judge Myers," Grissom ignored his obnoxious colleague. "We are doing what is in the best interest of your daughter. Judge Myers," He motioned for her to step forwards. She looked towards her husband with a suspicious look for a moment, before she stepped forwards and followed Greg's lead. "Deputy, if this man makes one move towards that room, I want you to put him in cuffs."

"Yes, sir." Deputy Diaz folded his arms across his chest, sizing up the man stood in front of him.

"You can't be serious." Mr Myers protested.

"Feeling nervous, Mr Myers?" Grissom spoke softly.

There was nothing he hated more than people who took advantage of children. He would gladly throw the book at this man for himself, but he had to wait for his team to finish gathering all the evidence they needed to back up Harper's claims.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! **

**~ Holly**


	11. Chapter 11 - Going Places

**Chapter Eleven – Going Places**

Sighing softly, Greg let his head hit the table in the empty conference room where he was set up, wishing he could just head home and get some sleep. Unfortunately, he didn't have that luxury right now. He was still trapped at the world's longest shift, on the world's longest phone call with his anxious mother.

"Flowers are flowers. Why does it matter to you so much which flower sits in the centrepiece of our table arrangements?" The whole concept sounded so bizarre to him. He could understand it if they were something that would last or even something that they could eat, but he doubted people would remember the flower arrangements over the fact that they got married that day. "Mom please," Greg cut her off before she started another 'importance of the flowers' speech. "I really don't have the head space to deal with all of this today. Can't you just call Mrs Stokes?"

_"You say that like I have her number."_ His mother sarcastically remarked.

"I know you do because I gave it to you less than three hours ago when you called to ask me for their guest list."

_"Well I didn't need to call her in the end because Nicky emailed me the guest list. Have you seen the size of it?"_ She fetched the sheets of paper from her husband's printer._ "Currently there are seventy six people coming to this wedding from their side alone. I doubt half of them are even close family like we originally agreed either. She only did it because we only have twenty one coming from our side."_

"Small wedding," Greg reiterated what they had all initially agreed. "We only have seating for thirty people tops, so that means less than fifteen people each. Not including the people that Nick and I are inviting from the lab."

_"You didn't get the latest from your soon to be mother in law, I see."_ His mother sucked in a sharp deep breath._ "We've had to change venues. We now have seating for one hundred people, so she's trying to fill it to the rafters."_

"What? We can't change venues this late in the planning." Greg groaned, lifting his head from the table.

_"Believe me; I tried to tell her that, but it's all about the image we want to project for her gay son's big wedding day. She's a very shallow person. Every decision she's made so far has been for her and her image to these people that she calls family. She hasn't taken Nick's feelings into account at all."_

"And I suppose we don't get a say in it?" He groaned.

_"I told you that you'd regret letting your future mother in law plan your entire wedding."_

"Mom, I'm not in the mood to talk about this right now."

_"Don't snip at me, Gregory."_ His mother scolded him. _"This is your wedding I'm planning here."_

"Is it really my wedding anymore?" He couldn't hold his temper. "This whole thing is getting ridiculous. It's supposed to be all about Nick and me getting married. Not about you or her. There are way more important things to deal with than flower arrangements." Greg heard the line go dead, dropping his head to the table again. He had really done it now and he didn't have the time to call her back and grovel for forgiveness right now.

Closing the open file in front of him, Greg pushed it across the table just out of his reach, before he dropped his head to the smooth wooden surface with a thud. He ran his fingers back through his hair, wishing this shift would end soon. He was in desperate need of some sleep and he hadn't eaten in over twelve hours now. The painful grumbles of hunger rumbling through his stomach were starting to make him feel nauseous, but he didn't want to make small talk with the people in the break room right now.

"Hey Greg," Sara poked her head into the conference room he was hiding out in. "Are you busy? We just got a ton of evidence back from the second crime scene and I could really use a hand processing it."

"Busy as a bee actually."

"Really?" With a smile, she noted, "Is that why you've been sat here yelling at the phone and staring at the same piece of paper for the last twenty minutes?"

"There happened to be a lot of words on that piece of paper." Greg playfully protested. "And I didn't mean to yell. It was my mother. They've changed venues without consulting us first. I seriously hate weddings. I'm tempted to drag Nick in front of Elvis to marry him rather than going through anymore of this."

"It's not like you to snap at your mother."

"I know… I got this today." He presented the letter he had been staring at. "They've set a date for Demetrius James' coroner's inquest."

"Oh," Sara let the door close behind her, reading through the letter herself. She realised why he hadn't been his usual bubbly self around the lab today, prompting her to give him some reassurance. "It'll be alright. You did nothing wrong. You stopped a brutal attack and helped put away multiple violent offenders. You just have to make them hear your side of it. The other victims who survived will have their say too and Sofia's speaking on the stand." She dropped her hand to his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Try not to worry about it too much. It'll be fine. Working will take your mind off it. We've got a ton of evidence to keep you distracted."

"Did you hear anything about the Myers case yet?"

"Nothing yet." Sara shook her head. "Cases like this take a while to process. She's home safe with her mother. You did that for her." She gave him a smile. "C'mon, work will take your mind off everything."

"I should really wait for my mother to call me back, but work seems good right now." He pushed himself to his feet. "Is Grissom alright with you processing evidence from an arson case in your current condition?"

"Grissom doesn't really get a say in what I do with my own body. Nor should anyone else for that matter," Sara placed a hand on her protruding stomach. "I plan to work right up until my maternity leave. My doctor said lab work won't do any harm to the baby as long as I avoid inhaling toxic chemicals. I think I should be able to tell if I'm well enough to keep working or not."

"Alright then," He sorted his paper work into a neat pile. "You know, you never _did_ tell me how you told the father of your unborn baby that he was going to be a father. He doesn't exactly look like a guy freaking out about his future."

"I told him." Sara ushered him across the hall. "Give me a hand and I'll tell you all about it."

"You're resorting to blackmail now? Your daughter is going to be such a rebellious teen." Happy for the distraction, Greg followed her across the hall, hoping that time with his friend would put his worries at ease. "You're going to be a great Mom, Sara. This kid is lucky to have you as a mother."

"Thanks." Sara watched the younger man glove up, before she handed him the first evidence bag. "How about you? Are you doing okay? It hasn't been that long since things just started to get back to normal for you."

"Define normal." He cracked a smile, standing himself opposite her. "I'm okay. I am. The dreams aren't so bad anymore and waking up in a sweat isn't so bad with Nick in my arms."

Sara giggled softly, opening the first evidence bag. "I heard that our missing girl, Harper sent you a gift basket. Have you heard from her lately?"

"Yeah, her Mom brought her by. She hugged me pretty hard. Her Mom not Harper. I don't think I've ever been hugged by a Judge before. She hand baked all the chocolate cupcakes in our gift basket too. Nicky had three before she even left."

"Good thing he's not worried about fitting into his wedding attire." She giggled softly. "And have you told Nick about the court date?"

"How could I? I haven't seen him in eighteen hours."

"You counted?"

"Of course," Greg giggled, "You're telling me that you honestly don't know when you last kissed your significant other?"

"No, I know exactly when it was." Making sure the coast was clear, she admitted, "It was in the car this morning."

He chortled out another laugh.

"In all seriousness, Greg." Sara's tone of voice dropped. "You can't deal with something like this on your own. After everything that you've been through, the last thing you need right now is solitary confinement away from the people who love and care about you."

"I'm not." He protested.

"Is that why you shut yourself in the conference room?"

"Am I not allowed a moment of peace and quiet in the middle of a busy shift? If you're not careful, Sara, your daughter is going to start rebelling at the age of ten with that attitude." He shook his finger at her, moving to the other table to get to work. "How many crime scenes are we up to now?"

"Four." Sara checked her notes. "Warrick, Nick and Wendy are currently processing the fifth."

"Wendy is out in the field again?"

"Worried she's going to upstage you out in the field?"

"Oh please, no one could upstage me in the field." Greg flashed her a grin. "For the record, I'm really proud of her for following her dreams. She said I inspired her, you know. She even called me a role model."

"You are you know. You've even inspired Floyd our youngest recruit. He reminds me of you when I first arrived at the lab."

"He does _not_ look like me." Greg protested for the hundredth time. "I don't think he even knows how to use shampoo and he's scared of everyone. He's terrified of the morgue. He thinks Doc Robbins is going to cut him up in his sleep. He can't even talk to Wendy without tripping all over himself. The boy is completely incompetent. He wouldn't last five minutes if I wasn't here to watch his every move."

Sara cleared her throat a little too late, motioning the other man's attention towards the door.

"Oh shit." Greg caught Floyd just disappearing out of the door. "How much did he hear exactly?"

"I think from shampoo. Greg," She stopped him from running after him. "I think five arson cases take priority over chasing down a love struck teen."

"He's hardly a love struck teen."

"Greg, he's completely infatuated with you." The woman giggled softly. "He's terrified of Nick finding out how he really feels about you. He trips over himself around you because he adores you. You have to shut him down for both your sakes before it goes too far. Honestly, I kinda feel sorry for him. He's got the Greg vibe bad. He asks everyone about you all the time. Everyone except Nick of course. I even caught him writing your initials on his notebook. He's _exactly_ like a love struck teen."

"Wow," Greg felt a little dizzy from the revelation. "I didn't know." He stopped in the doorway, a smile tugging at his lips. "He really likes me? No one ever likes me."

"Um excuse me, aren't you about to get married to a man who likes you a lot?"

Lost in thought, Greg gave her a confused look, "Hm?"

Sara cracked a wide grin. "I'll give you a hint. It starts with an N."

"Oh right, I meant no one _used_ to like me." He corrected himself, joining her round the evidence table. "It might be hard for you to believe this Sara, but I wasn't exactly the suave popular guy in high school. I think I only had one real friend in the last few years and she only really liked me because I helped her do her homework to keep her in school and I kept lookout for her while she smoked behind the science lab. I had plenty of crushes and close calls with the gorgeous Nick type guys, but I was nothing more than something they wanted to scrape off their shoe. Please don't tell Nick I said that. In fact, don't repeat it to anyone."

"My lips are sealed." Sara playfully threw away a key. "Speaking of marriage, you're not really going to drag Nick in front of Elvis are you?"

"I'm tempted to. I probably wouldn't even have to drag him."

"Is the wedding planning really going that bad?"

"Don't ask." He sighed heavily as he gloved up. "I think we might end up eloping just to avoid anymore drama at this rate. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff our mothers have fought about so far. Apparently the flower arrangements my Mom decided on don't fit in with the table settings that Mrs Stokes picked out. And don't even get me started on the cake."

Sara giggled softly, a little relieved that her parents weren't involved in her relationship. She dreaded to think what her mother would make of her having a baby with her boss out of wedlock.

* * *

"Greg was really the first guy you slept with?" Stunned by the man's confession, Wendy blurted the secret a little too loudly. She gave the man an apologetic look, before she shot a look at the deputy guarding their scene. "Don't you have something better to do?"

The man grumbled something under his breath as he moved away from them, wishing he was out chasing suspects rather than guarding two nerds trading gossip about their boyfriends.

"Sorry." She gritted her teeth together. "I completely forgot he was there."

"Hey, it's okay." Crouching down to get a closer look at the burn pattern, Nick smirked, "A few months ago I would have had a full blown panic attack tellin' someone that. Now that everyone knows about us, it doesn't feel like that big of a deal. Honestly, I don't know why I was so worried that anyone would find out about us."

Wendy gave him a smile, handing him another evidence bag from her collection. "So you were saying about the burn pattern," She got back to their case. "How can you tell it didn't start in here?"

"You tell me." They had already worked two arson cases earlier in their shift. He wanted to see how much she had taken in following them around to learn more about being a field CSI.

"Alright," Wendy pursed her lips together as she examined their scene. "Oh, the cone shape pattern over there. The fire started in the kitchen just like the last house."

"Yep, what can you tell me about this one?" He motioned towards the wall.

The woman stepped closer to get a better look, realising she still had a lot to learn. She just saw a blackened wall that would take hours to clean. "It almost looks like something was splashed on the wall."

"Good." Nick joined her side. "That'll be our accelerant. If we can match it to our last scene, we've got our suspect dead to rights." He looked down at his phone as it buzzed again, seeing another text from his mother about the wedding. He really didn't want to deal with more of his mother's drama right now, so he left the text unanswered again.

"Mother in law again?"

"Nope that was my mother." He smirked, getting back to work. "We have both of our mothers plannin' our entire weddin' for us, but they won't talk to each other about the details, they always go through us. She probably wants me to ask Greg's mother somethin' about the flowers."

Wendy sucked in a sharp breath. "You're not even married yet and they don't like each other?"

"They've never actually met in person. We want them to meet before we get married, but they both keep delayin' it. I think Greg's mother is worried that my mother won't like her. And I already know that my mother won't like her. She speaks her mind. She's way more eccentric than Greg. Frankly, I'd be terrified of leavin' the two of them alone together."

Wendy giggled softly, spotting Warrick finally returning. "Hey, did you snap some photos of our onlookers?" She saw a few members of the press still trying to capture a juicy pic for their front page story, but most of neighbourhood had given up trying to get a look after the fire went out.

"I did. Check this out." Warrick joined Nick's side with his camera, zooming in on a guy in the crowd. "Look familiar to you?"

"Yeah, yeah," Nick recalled where he last saw him. "Three days ago. He was the neighbour of our second arson. He was really torn up that their dog didn't make it out of the fire."

Warrick smirked out a laugh. "Yeah that was the guy. You know he filed complaints against their pooch three years running, before that house fire. And the dog was the only victim."

"That was the second fire. We're up to our fifth in four days. Why isn't he in jail?" Wendy gave the two of them a curious look.

"Our Mr Davis had an air tight alibi." Nick explained. "He wasn't even in Las Vegas for the first one. Security cameras picked him up at work durin' the start of his neighbours house fire and he was in an interrogation room with Brass and Grissom when the third one started."

"Doesn't mean he wasn't involved though," Warrick quickly added. "He's still our prime suspect because this guy has a history of showing up around house fires. We just need the evidence to finally put him away behind bars. I texted Archie outside, asked him to check out Catherine and Greg's photos, see if he showed up at any of our other crime scenes. Brass is out there having a friendly conversation with him now. He's already protesting harassment."

Wendy nodded softly, taking a look at the pictures for herself. "Arsonists really like to stick around to admire their work?"

"Oh yeah, it's like a drug to them." Nick didn't miss an opportunity to teach her something new. "For some it's a way for them to relieve tension or stress in their lives. Others use it a chance for instant gratification. They get off seein' the flames or the destruction that they can cause. This guy Davis was in the foster care system as a kid. He burned down two of his foster homes before he was even thirteen."

"Gris is convinced this is our guy just from the way he spoke to him in the interrogation room." Warrick checked out the burnt out window, trying to see if he was still talking to Brass. "He's bound to slip up sooner or later."

"Does he know all the victims?" Wendy lowered the camera, feeling a shudder running down her spine. "We must be able to do something to stop him from doing this to someone else."

"That's why we need all the evidence we can get." Nick handed her an evidence bag to label up. "The fire destroys anythin' the arsonist leaves behind. Then the fire department come in and destroy it a little more with their hoses. There's no chance we're gettin' prints off anythin' he touched and most of our evidence has been turned to ash or hosed down with a flood of water. We don't have a lot to go on and he knows it."

"Yeah, it's why he feels comfortable enough standing right outside." Warrick rolled his eyes as the man stayed put.

* * *

Hearing loud music blasting from inside one of his labs, Grissom rolled his eyes, finding Greg right at the source of it. He forced the door to the tech lab open, going straight for the system across the room. He grimaced as he got nearer, finding the stop button to finally bring peace and quiet back to his lab. "Didn't we talk about this once before, Greg?"

"Actually," Sara raised her hand. "I'm the one who turned the music on. We needed a distraction."

Grissom kept his eyes narrowed in on Greg, an accusing glare that sent shivers down the younger man's spine. The angry supervisor folded his arms across his chest, making his way over to the younger man to watch him working. "Well, what have you found?"

"A gas container." Greg motioned towards it. "From our latest crime scene. As the heat melted the plastic, it formed pockets, trapping the gasoline inside. And if Hodges can isolate any unique compounds from the gas, you know, like, gas DNA."

The older man's brow twisted into a frown. "Gasoline comparisons are only credible if you have pure samples. Otherwise there's too many variables."

Greg rolled his eyes, sick of always being treated like a rookie. "I know that, Grissom. What I've extracted was never exposed directly to the fire. So, if we can identify either a dye or a unique compound and match to a particular station then we might be able to prove whether our suspect, Carl Davis set the fire."

"It's a long shot." Grissom's frown didn't fade. "We shouldn't be wasting our time on something like this. I need to connect Mr Davis to these fires before he starts another one. We're fortunate that no one has died, yet. We all know that arsonists only escalate if they're not caught."

"It'll work." With a sigh, Greg made a move for the door. "I'll get this to Hodges." He shuffled out the door to get away from his disappointed father figure, wishing someone around here would just have a little faith in him for once.

"Greg's got the coroner's inquest coming up." Sara informed her significant other. "He's been under a lot of stress. Maybe you could be a little nicer to him."

"I am nice." Grissom grabbed the door to the lab. "I just want to nail this guy. Five fires in three days makes me nervous. In the interrogation room he asked me if I could ever watch the ones I loved melting in front of my eyes." He looked at Sara and the bump that was almost visible beneath her top. "I don't want him anywhere near you."

"Nothing will happen." Sara assured him. "I'm safe in the lab. We just need a little more time."

* * *

"Hey Nicky," Catherine greeted the man on his return to the lab. "How goes the teaching?"

"Really well actually," He smiled proudly. "She's got a knack for this. Wendy also found us a match book just outside the house completely untouched by the flames. I figure Mandy might be able to get some prints off it if he wasn't smart enough to glove up."

"Nice work. Grissom will be pleased. He's taking this one a little personally ever since the interrogation room with this guy." She unlocked her office door, remembering the message she was supposed to pass on. "Hey make sure you stop by and see Floyd, he's got something for you."

"Will do." Nick waved her off, continuing his journey towards the print lab to drop off his evidence. He scanned the lab for any sign of his fiancé during the hand off, but it looked as though they had just missed each other again. Nearly twenty three hours since he last kissed him now. He almost felt like a drug addict, desperately craving his next fix with Greg. These long shifts were torture on his soul. The weekend couldn't come soon enough. They were finally off shift at the same time, giving them some much needed quality time together.

"Alright," Mandy got to work. "I'll call you if I find anything."

"If you get a match to Carl Davis, make sure you call Grissom first. Thanks Mandy, I appreciate it." He headed for the lab next door, surprised that it was completely empty. Floyd didn't usually skip out in the middle of a busy shift, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

* * *

Standing in the lobby of the lab, Greg waited for the receptionist to finish up her last call, before he stepped forwards with a smile across his lips. "Hi Judy, have you seen Floyd recently? I've swung by the lab a few times but I keep missing him."

"Last I saw, he was heading down to autopsy."

"The morgue? We don't have any bodies today."

"No, I think it's for swing shift. I heard it was a husband wife double homicide." Judy lifted an envelope from her desk. "While you're down there, can you give this to David? A messenger just brought it over from the hospital. Something to do with your burn victim from yesterday." She gave him a smile. "Thanks Greg, you're a star."

"I'm glad someone thinks so."

"Are you brewing a pot of coffee anytime?" She waggled her empty coffee mug. "I've been jonesing a cup for a few hours now."

"I'm all out." He gave her a sheepish smile, backing himself up towards the elevator. "I could really use a cup too. This shift seems like it's never ending and I'm only running on three hours of sleep from the last one."

"I don't know how you do it." She snickered, before she professionally answered another call. "Hello, crime lab."

Greg pushed the button for the morgue as he stepped inside the elevator, preparing his deeply apologetic speech for Floyd. He couldn't even remember half of what he said he was so exhausted. He knew it was bad, but he was convinced he could talk himself out of it if only Floyd would just give him a minute to explain.

Once he reached the morgue floor, he searched around for David, before he dumped the envelope on his desk. He saw no sign of Doctor Robbins or any bodies in autopsy, leading to another dead end. He thought as a CSI he should at least be able to track down one DNA tech in a lab, but it was proving to be a lot harder than he initially thought.

"Oh," Greg clutched his chest, not ready for someone to burst through the door beside him. "Hey, David."

"Hi, Greg." The man wheeled the body on the slab out into the hall. "Do you need something?"

"No… oh, I dropped something off on your desk for you. Arson case related. Have you seen Floyd? DNA tech, spiky hair…"

"Yeah, he's taking a break outside." David mimicked a cigarette in his mouth. "Believe me I have tried to explain to him exactly what he's doing to his lungs every time he sticks one of those cancer sticks in his mouth, but he has the typical response of someone with cognitive dissonance."

"Cognitive… what?" Greg gave him a confused look.

"Cognitive dissonance." After pushing his glasses up his nose, David explained, "It occurs when someone's beliefs contradict with their behaviour. Floyd is a smoker that knows what he's doing is unhealthy and potentially life threatening but he still continues to smoke because his brain has rationalised it as something he can't do without. Next time we get a smoker on the table, I'll bring him down to take a look at the inside of their lungs."

"Do you really think shock therapy is the answer?" Greg didn't want to admit that he used to smoke back in High school. He knew it was unhealthy, but he needed something to make him cool and for a while, he thought the cigarettes gave him an edge.

"Sometimes seeing the outcome of your decisions can help your brain to force a change."

"Yeah, but we don't want him to quit the lab or maybe even report you to HR." He pointed out to him, heading for the exit. "I'm just saying."

"Don't stand too close!" David called after him. "Second hand smoke kills."

When Greg stepped outside into the cool midnight air, he spotted Floyd quickly disposing of the evidence against the brick wall of the building. He tossed it to the ground once it was out, folding his arms across his chest as Greg approached. "Hi." He awkwardly greeted him, wishing the kid would at least make eye contact with him. "So, I owe you an apology. I didn't mean what I said."

"Yes you did."

"I didn't." Greg protested, fanning his hand in front of his face to rid himself of the second hand smoke wafting around the younger man. "I was a jerk. I admit it. I didn't mean to say that and I definitely didn't mean for you to hear it. Not that saying that out loud really makes it any better." He sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm really sorry, okay. I should know better. I used to be in your shoes and people thought I was a joke. I still can't get them to take me seriously now."

"Hodges respects you."

"Ha!" Greg squeaked a little too loud. "Seriously are we talking about the same David Hodges here?" He shook his head in denial. "He either said that to mess with you or he was being sarcastic. I don't think there's anyone in this entire city that hates me more than Hodges does."

"What about Wendy and Mandy? Henry called you a role model for the lab techs around here."

Greg gave the younger man a slight smile, wondering how this went from an apology to the wronged party trying to convince him that he was worthy.

"I'm not really an outdoorsy person, but if I had your courage, especially after what you went through, I would love to join the field team."

Grateful to see the smile back on Floyd's lips, Greg admitted, "I'm not exactly outdoorsy either. I just… I couldn't stand only seeing the smallest part of these cases. Lab work is really important, but to me, it was just a tiny slice of this big world that I wanted to be a part of. Honestly, I'm still terrified of being out there on my own, but I know I have a team behind me who will back me up in any situation. I really am sorry about what I said. Next time, feel free to call me a jerk before you run off. I deserve it."

Floyd's smile spread a little wider.

It was short lived though.

A shiny metallic object swung out of the darkness, catching the side of Greg's head. He fell against the wall, before hitting the floor with a thud. Floyd lurched backwards to get away, trapping himself against the wall. He gasped for breath as a man appeared, pointing a gun at Greg on the floor.

"Make any sound and I put a bullet in your boyfriend's head." A sinister grin spread across his lips. "Get in the van pretty boy. No sudden movements or I shoot. Go on. Move it."

"O-kay, okay," Floyd frantically nodded, moving slowly towards the van. He never saw it pull up. He didn't even hear an engine.

As he got closer, he saw the 'Mortuary' sign on the side. He gulped hard as he climbed inside, relieved there wasn't an actual corpse inside, but it did make him worried that he would soon be its new addition. He leapt back against the wall as the man threw Greg's limp body inside. He only had a second to see the blood drips running down the side of his head, before the van door slid closed putting them in complete darkness. He heard the engine starting up, before he lost his footing and fell to his knees.

"Greg," His hands found his way to the other man's shoulders in the darkness. "Greg, wake up. Please wake up."

* * *

**Happy New Year! Sorry about the dark chapter for the New Year, but I've been writing it all over Christmas and finally got it to where I wanted it. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know if you did.**

**~ Holly**


	12. Chapter 12 - Bravery

**Chapter Twelve – Bravery**

"It's not Carl Davis?" Nick grabbed the piece of paper, looking over it himself. "But you did get a match."

"Sorry, I know how much you guys wanted to nail this one, but none of the prints I pulled from the book or the remaining sticks match Carl Davis. Instead I got a match to a Peter Copeland." Mandy still had a backlog of prints to work through from the previous shift, but she knew how important this one was to the graveyard shift. "If it helps, he's got priors for arson. His rap sheet is as long as your arm. I already sent this over to Brass. No way to get in contact with him directly, but he did find a recent parole office that he has to see daily."

"Thanks. Grissom won't be pleased, but it's better than nothin'." He gave her a slight smile, feeling his phone vibrating against his hip. He quickly jumped to answer it, hesitating as he saw 'mother in law' flashing across his screen again. "Hey Mandy, have you seen Greg today? He's supposed to be helpin' Sara out with the backlog from our cases, but no one has seen him in hours."

"Sorry," Mandy shook her head. "Ecklie's on the war path looking for Floyd too. He's called Wendy back in from the field to pick up the slack."

"Alright, thanks. Let me know if you see him." Stepping out into the hallway, Nick felt nerves bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He checked his phone for any messages once again, giving Greg's number another dial, but it still went straight through to his voicemail. "C'mon Greg, answer your phone." He glanced up just in time to see Grissom returning from the station. "Hey Gris, have you seen Greg recently?"

"No," The man checked the time on his watch. "Are you free? I need someone to come with me to our new suspect's house."

"The Peter Copeland guy?"

"Yeah, Brass just texted me an address he got from his parole officer." Grissom reread the text. "I just need to restock my kit. I'll meet you at my car in five minutes?"

"Sure." Nick turned on his heels, flagging down Sara as she left the break room with a coffee in her hands. "Hey Sara, have you seen Greg recently?"

"No sorry, he hasn't come back yet." Sara shoved the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth. She covered her mouth as she chewed, remembering, "He had some evidence to drop off with Hodges earlier. He was supposed to come back to help me process the rest after, but I haven't seen him in over an hour or so now. Are you okay?"

"I'm sure it's nothin'." Nick anxiously bit his lower lip. "Can you call me if you see him? Or get him to call me." He tapped his cell on his hip. "I just have a bad feelin'. He never turns his phone off, especially at work."

"Don't worry." Sara gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm on break now. I'll see if I can find him."

"Thanks." He reluctantly turned on his heels, heading down to the parking lot to find Grissom's car. He searched the entire lab floors reserved spots, before he made his way outside, finding his supervisor overlooking a flashing red and blue cruiser outside their own building. "Gris, what's goin' on?" He joined his side as a deputy sealed off the area with some bright yellow police tape.

"I just got here." Grissom ditched his kit in the back of his car, making his way over to the scene. He couldn't see a whole lot from the other side of the tape, but he could see Detective Vartann and CSI Burges from swing shift attending the scene. "Burges," He flagged her down. "What's going on here?"

"Hi Grissom," Burges tucked her long brunette hair behind her ears as she joined him. "The mortuary guys received a delivery of a fresh stiff from the hospital earlier."

"So, what's unusual about that?" Nick furrowed his brow.

"Stokes." She gave the man a nod. "The victim is Samantha James but the paper work accompanying her was for a Jane Doe they suspected was an overdose."

"Wait a moment, our Samantha James?" Grissom recalled the name. "Our burn victim from one of our arson cases? Her wounds weren't fatal. She was being released from the hospital later this afternoon."

"Exactly," Detective Vartann joined them. "Less than an hour ago, she was tucked up in her bed in the hospital, recovering from her minor burns to her arm and wrist. A nurse reported her missing then she showed up here dead on a slab. Her injuries weren't fatal enough to kill her."

"But it's definitely her?"

"She's still wearing her hospital band." Burges showed him the photos on her camera. "We don't have a cause of death yet, but Doc Robbins can confirm that it wasn't natural causes."

Grissom scratched his chin, wondering if their suspect Carl Davis sought her out to finish the job that he started with her house. He still wasn't convinced that they were looking for someone else, but he had to follow where the evidence led him. "Alright then, who took the delivery?" He gave her a curious look.

"David." Vartann motioned over to him. "He's just giving his description of the guy to one of my deputies. He said he didn't recognise the delivery guy, but he had the van and all the paperwork. We're thinking maybe the hospital just got their paperwork mixed up."

"You know there's a security camera." Nick pointed up.

Vartann and Burges looked at each other, realising they had overlooked that one.

"Thanks, Stokes." Burges pushed him away from the tape. "Now if you don't mind, this is my crime scene. Last I heard, you guys still have five arson cases to solve." She rubbed salt in the wound.

"Alright, you give me a call if you need any more help." He mimicked a phone to his ear.

"Get a room you two." Vartann whistled. "I'm gonna find where the feed goes."

"Already done," Ecklie stepped out of the double doors. "Gil, good you're here." He motioned for him to follow him. "We have a problem. You might want to look at this."

Grissom sighed softly, digging out his car keys from his pocket. He handed them over to Nick, sensing this might take a while. "Go ahead without me. I'll meet you there."

"Hey, the address." Nick reminded him. He caught onto the look Ecklie was giving him, feeling his nerves spiking. He hated this feeling. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end and a cold chill running down his spine as though a ghost had just walked through him.

Grissom forwarded the address to his phone, before he followed Ecklie inside. He cautiously followed the man's footsteps towards the security office, giving the man a curious look as he stepped inside. "What's this about, Conrad? I've got a crime scene waiting for me."

"Watch the screen, Gil." Ecklie patted the officer on the shoulder. "Alright, play it."

"Yes, sir." Deputy Metcalfe ran the tape back a little, before he put it on the big screen for Grissom to see. He anxiously bit his lower lip as the tape played out, revealing Floyd stepping outside to take a smoke. David joined him for a second. The tape didn't have audio, but they could tell they were talking. He hit fast forward, revealing Greg stepping outside into the dark.

Grissom stepped closer to watch the exchange, feeling his chest hitching as someone just out of frame swung a heavy object at Greg. He saw the gun and the fear in Floyd's eyes, before the two of them moved out of frame. He focused on Greg's lifeless body being dragged away; suddenly wishing he had been nicer to him today.

"Gil," Ecklie stepped closer to the man. "We're going to do everything we can to find them. I'll call in my guys early. Get them on this right away."

Grissom only managed a slight nod, retrieving his cell from his pocket to give Sara a call. He wasn't sure if he should stop Nick first. If the situation was reversed and Sara was the one out there, he would want to know, but he wasn't exactly a hot headed Texan with a history of flying off the rails.

* * *

"Ouch…" Finding himself on the cold hard floor of what he assumed was a garage, Greg reached a hand towards his head, realising his wrists had been bound with several layers of duct tape. It pulled at the hairs on his arms as he tried to move. He couldn't even move his legs to get up. The tape had been triple wrapped around the ankles of his jeans and he was missing his shoes.

"Greg?" A scared voice called out of the darkness. "Greg, are you awake?"

"Y-yeah," Greg brushed his fingertips through the blood running down the side of his head, before he searched the darkness for the terrified lab technician. "I'm awake. I feel like I've got a six week hangover though." He groaned. "Floyd… are you okay?"

"No." Floyd tugged at the restraints to his wrists. "I thought you were never going to wake up. I couldn't even hear you breathing. He hit you hard. He like properly brained you."

"Yeah… I can feel it." Greg's skull felt like it was rattling around inside a dryer. His vision was a little blurry, but they were definitely in a pitch black garage. "What um… what happened?" He could almost see the shape of Floyd across the room. His lab coat was concealing the chair he was sitting on, but he could see the thick clumps of tape keeping both his ankles restrained against the chair.

"Well, this guy kinda knocked you out and kidnapped us." Floyd started his familiar nervous habit of rambling. "It was a black mortuary van. I didn't get the licence plate, but I'm pretty sure he drove past the cameras out the back of the ME and he took a right, so he definitely drove in front of the station. He also shoved a gun in my face. It looked like a glock. I'm not really up to speed on guns, but it was like a smaller version of what Brass carries."

"You got all that…?"

Floyd anxiously nodded his head, looking around the room again. "Doctor Grissom is always saying to pay attention to even the smallest details. We drove for about ten maybe fifteen minutes, before he pulled up in here. He dragged you out, forced me out at gun point then took off in the van. I think he padlocked the garage door. The door upstairs is like triple locked too. I didn't see much of the neighbourhood when he opened the door to leave, but it looked kinda suburban."

Greg struggled to prop himself up onto his elbows with his wrists bound tightly together, feeling a little nauseous. He could feel the stickiness of the dried blood running down the side of his head. He could almost taste it's familiar coppery scent in the back of his throat. He shook off the feeling of being back in that alley, trying to focus on the here and now.

"Floyd… did he take your phone?"

"Yeah, he took them with him. I didn't even call my Mom today. She's gonna be so pissed. Oh, he got your ID too. Seemed really interested in the fact you're a CSI."

"If he's our arsonist, he's probably gunning for Grissom." Greg closely examined the tape to his wrists, before he attempted to pull it apart with his teeth. The adhesive tasted horrible and it made his lips dry, but he wasn't about to let someone else make a victim out of him.

"He didn't strike me as the arsonist type. Unless arsonists use metal baseball bats and guns," Floyd rolled his head back to try and get a look at the window, but he couldn't see anything other than the glare of the street light outside. "Ugh, Mr Ecklie is going to be so mad at me right now. I still had a bunch of stuff from his crime scene to go through."

"Don't worry about it." Greg took a moment to breath. He needed to keep his heart rate down to keep himself from panicking. The last thing he needed right now was a panic attack. "So Floyd, what do we know about this guy?"

Like a typical teen, Floyd shrugged his shoulders together, answering, "I don't know."

"Not helpful, Floyd." He hissed back at him. "C'mon, you must have seen something. You just said that Grissom told you to pay attention to the smallest details. Anything you can remember about him will help us figure out who he is and what he wants from us."

"We're tied up in a cold basement. I'm pretty sure he wants to kill us."

"You don't know that." Greg winced as he pulled out another section of his arm hair, just trying to get his wrist free. "Do you remember what he looked like? What colour were his eyes?"

"It was dark." Floyd tried to think. "His eyes were dark. Maybe brown. They looked kinda blood shot."

"See, that's a start." Greg encouraged him, trying to keep both of them level headed and calm so they could make it out of this situation alive. "What else? Hairstyle or hair colour."

"I don't really know styles. He was wearing a hat."

"Alright, what kind of hat was it?"

"Like a cap, I guess." Closing his eyes, Floyd tried to think back. "It was a baseball cap. It was dark. It was pulled low over his forehead. It had some letters on it. I can't remember what."

"Anything else you can remember about him?"

"I don't know." He choked up a little. "What does it matter anyway? We're still trapped down here. Knowing the colour of his hat is hardly going to help us right now."

"It matters." Greg remained calm. "How tall was he?"

"Tall." Floyd rolled his head back. "Like Mr Brown's height."

"Warrick?" Greg had to double check. "What about his build?" He kept the younger man's mind focused, while he continued to struggle with the tape around his wrists. It felt like it was giving way at one point, but his wrists were still firmly locked together. "Floyd, are you still with me?"

"Yeah… I guess he was kinda toned. Almost like Mr Stokes, not as stocky though."

"What? Nick is not stocky." He immediately protested.

"He kind of is. He's shorter than most guys and he's really broad, especially across his shoulders and chest."

"He's only a couple of inches shorter than me. And he is in no way stocky." He defended his fiancé, hoping to see him again soon. He didn't know exactly what time it was now, but it had been well over twenty four hours since he last laid eyes on the man. He couldn't help but worry that it was already too late.

Floyd suddenly let out a soft chuckle. "You mean you actually measured?"

"Not what I meant." Greg hissed back at him. "Ugh, c'mon." He desperately tried to pull his wrists apart. "Did he say anything to you?"

"Nick?"

"No, our kidnapper guy. Did he say anything?"

"Not to me specifically. Apart from the threat of get in the van or I shoot you. I heard him rambling while he was driving us here. From what I understood, he's trying to prove himself to someone. He said something about earning his stripes or marks. Sounded kinda gang related, but he didn't have any tats or anything that I could see. He wasn't all that clear either." Floyd paused for a moment of thought, remembering one thing he said that stood out. "He really doesn't like whoever he was talking about and he's planning on upping the ante by including a couple of CSIs in his plan."

"It won't come to that." Greg tried to assure him, barely making a mark in the thick tape. "Is this his house then?"

"I don't know. I tried screaming for help earlier, but there doesn't seem to be anyone home. He had keys to the garage and the door up there, so at a guess I would say yes. He knew exactly where the tape was too, so he's certainly familiar with the place. It's like my Mom's garage in here. Nothing but boxes full of old kids toys, clothes and a couple of photo albums."

"Maybe he lives with his Mom or he has keys to his Mom's place. It's not that unusual." Finally pushing himself into a sitting position, Greg reached for the tape around his ankles, trying anything to get himself free. He knew they probably didn't have a lot of time left before their kidnapper returned to carry out whatever plan he had for them. "You know, you never did tell me where you were from." He realised, barely able to see the younger man in the dimly lit room.

"All over really." Floyd uncomfortably adjusted himself in his seat, letting out a cough.

"So, tell me about it." Greg tried to keep him talking.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't be asking if I didn't."

"Okay… I'm a military brat." He blurted it right out. "We travelled all over ever since I was born. It wasn't until I left for college that I really stayed in one place of my choosing."

"You're an army brat? Wow," Greg didn't see that at all in him. "Which parent?"

"My Dad." He missed his father more than ever right now. "I have five older brothers, so it wasn't all bad. We shuffled between schools all the time, but we always had each other. Every two or three years it was a different house, new school and a new base for my Dad. Technically, I was born in Korea. My folks were there for a year or so, before we were shipped to Phoenix. Oklahoma was my favourite. My Dad took time to teach us fishing. I didn't like the fishing so much, more the time with him and my brothers."

"Yeah, my Dad is really into fishing too. Weekends with him involved freezing to death on his boat out in the middle of nowhere, but I wouldn't trade the time I had with him for anything in the world. Yes!" Greg managed to get the first strip free of tape free, quickly unravelling it from around his ankles so he could get up. "Ow… at least I can finally feel my toes." He flexed out his toes, feeling the blood trickling back into his feet once his circulation returned.

"You got it off? Cool, come over here before he comes back."

The two of them froze as they heard the sound of a car door opening.

"What was that? Did you hear that?" Floyd struggled in his chair, fearing he was back already. "Greg…"

"It's okay." Greg clambered to his feet, moving towards the small window in the corner that was giving them the smallest amount of light from the street lamp outside. With his wrists still bound, he clumsily clambered on top of the small radiator to take a look, seeing a car across the street. "It looks like a neighbour leaving."

He would have called for help, but the engine started too quickly and they were practically underground.

"It's not him? You're sure."

"Pretty sure." Greg tried to push the window open, but it had been nailed right into the frame. He tried to get a look at where they were, but he could only really see the driveway and the garage door of the neighbour who just left.

"Hey Greg, if we die down here…"

"We're not going to die down here." Jumping down, Greg quickly made his way over to the other man, dropping to his knees beside him. He pulled at the tape binding Floyd's wrists, finding it a whole lot easier than trying to free his own wrists. "We're going to get free and find a way out of here. We'll be long gone before he even gets back and we're going to lead a team of heavily armed deputies right to his front door to put him into cuffs." He assured the man, pulling one of his wrists free. "See, piece of cake."

"If we die," Floyd continued, "I just want you to know that I get it. You and Nick fit."

"Thanks, but we're still not going to die." Greg moved to free his ankles, before he tried his other wrist. "We are going to get out of here." He assured him, freeing his wrist in record time. "See easy as that… wait," He stopped him from getting up, seeing the red stain running down the side of his lab coat. He looked into the younger man's eyes, before he peeled back his coat to see a large red smear to his navy blue work shirt. "Floyd." He tugged the shirt up, getting a slight look at the wound, before more blood poured out of it.

Greg quickly dropped his shirt back into place, applying pressure to the wound. He could already feel it seeping through his fingers though.

"Like I said," Floyd stayed put in the chair. "If we die down here, I want you to know that I really care about you and I wish you the best of luck with Nick. He seems… like a really good guy."

"You're really not going to die." Greg kept pressure on his side. "What is this a gunshot wound?"

"Stab." Floyd shook his head. "I rushed him when he opened the van. Dumb plan, I know. It kinda looked like a scalpel, but I can't be sure. He stuck it in me so fast; I didn't even feel it until he pulled it out. The good news though, he's gonna have to change his clothes now. My blood was all over him when he tore out of here."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I think we have bigger problems." Floyd motioned to the room they were still trapped in. "If he is our arsonist, he plans on burning us alive anyway, so what does a minor stab wound matter?"

"It's hardly minor. I thought you were talking too much. I'm no stranger to over talking, but I've never known someone who over talks to conceal pain." Greg searched around for something to soak up the blood, seeing a dryer filled with towels across the room. "Okay, hold this. Tight." He positioned Floyd's hands over his wound, making sure he had it, before he hurried across the room to grab a few towels.

"Greg, just leave me. You still have a chance to get of here."

"Don't be stupid, I'm not leaving you. Move your hand." He quickly plugged the wound with one of the towels, realising how pale he looked up close. He was always pretty pale in complexion, but now Greg could see the details of the spidery veins covering his face now. "Tell me more about your family. What do your brothers do?"

"Seriously, you want to talk about this now?"

"Why not? You said you have five, right?" Greg tried to keep him distracted. "Are any of them in law enforcement?"

"One." Floyd nodded his head slightly. "Drug enforcement. Ow, what are you doing?"

"Sorry, I have to make it tight."

Floyd struggled not to smile, looking away as Greg made it even tighter. "You seem to know what you're doing. Ever done this before?"

"Nope, applying pressure and plugging the wound are the limitations of my skill set. Nick took a first aid course, but all I know is we have to keep the red stuff inside or you go buh bye."

"Okay." Floyd tried to hide his fear. "So, how are we going to get out of here then?"

"I'm working on it." Greg used the remaining sections of tape to help seal the towel into place. He lifted Floyd's hand again, pressing it against the wound. "Hold that there while I look around. Hey stay with me. We're getting out of this, I promise."

Floyd sucked in a sharp breath, giving him a slight smile. "Grissom says to never make promises you can't keep."

"I didn't." He gave him a smile as he pushed himself to his feet. He hurried up the stairs to check the door to the house first, but it was definitely locked from the other side. He had the same problem with the garage door and the window still wouldn't budge.

"You're looking a little worried there, Greg." Floyd kept a watchful eye over him.

"Hey bright side, you finally stopped calling me Mr Sanders." Greg lightened the mood with a smile. He turned for the shelving unit covered with boxes, frantically searching through them for something he could use. "Yes!" He stumbled upon a box with a few old tools inside. They were a little rusty, but all he needed was something to remove the nails or maybe even break through the glass.

"You found something?"

"Yep, see." Greg seized hold of the flat head screwdriver. He would have preferred a hammer, but the box was pretty limited. It was either a screwdriver, a roll of duct tape or a flimsy plastic ruler. He rushed over to the window with it, stepping onto the radiator again before he attempted to smash his way through.

It took him three or four attempts, before the spike finally went through the window, along with his hand into the broken shards of glass.

"You got it?" Floyd tilted his head back to try and see.

"Ah," Greg pulled his hand back in, clenching his teeth into his bottom lip as he pulled the piece of glass out of his hand. He shook it off, figuring escaping was the priority right now. "I got it." He turned the screwdriver around, using the handle to knock away the rest of the glass to make it easier to climb through, before he jumped down to help Floyd. "Okay c'mon, we've gotta move."

"I can't." Floyd shook his head. "I'll slow you down."

"There is no way I'm leaving without you and if we stay here we're going to die. C'mon, a few seconds of agony is worth any kind of freedom." Greg assisted him to his feet, sliding his arm around him to support his weight. He knew that moving him right now was probably a bad idea, but he didn't exactly favour the alternative.

* * *

"LVPD open up." Captain Brass gave the door another knock. He still couldn't hear anything going on inside, so he stepped aside to let his deputies in first. He gave them a moment to clear the first room, before he followed them inside, taking a quick look around. "Alright Stokes," He ushered the other man through. "It's clear."

"No one home?" Nick set his kit down on the floor, gloving up before he started to look around.

"It certainly looks like we got the right place," Brass motioned to the arsonist tool kit dumped behind the sofa. "Let's hope he was dumb enough to leave us a map with his targets on it. Or maybe even the personal effects of his victims?" With a gloved hand, he lifted the driver's licence of Samantha James from the shelf, showing it to Nick behind him. "Look familiar."

"The woman who showed up at the coroner's office earlier?"

"Yep," Brass lowered it back to the shelf. "We've also got a John Denton, Rebecca Fielder, Lucas Jones… and Paul White."

"That makes all five of our arson crime scenes." Nick snapped a picture of them. "Looks like Grissom got this one wrong."

"I'll let you break the news to him on that one." Brass grabbed one of the unopened letters from the large stack of mail on the side, smirking as he flipped through them. "Mr Peter Copeland. There's dozens of final demand letters here, looks like he was in way over his head on bills."

Nick found another stack on the coffee table. "Yep… more over here. Bank account is in the red zone." He skimmed through the opened letter.

"There's a shirt covered in blood in the bath tub." One of the deputies reported, holstering his weapon. "Along with a fresh bloody hand print on the door frame."

"Thanks." Leaving Brass to poke through the junk on the coffee table, Nick made his way through to the bedroom, hearing the guys whispering behind him. He raised his camera to take a picture of the bloody hand print, pausing as he heard his fiancé's name mentioned. He kept his camera raised as he took a step backwards, listening a little closer.

Grissom didn't tell him anything before he left the lab, but he was starting to get a clearer picture of what was going on. He felt a little dizzy, feeling his breath beginning to wheeze through his throat. He couldn't afford to have a panic attack right now. If this was as serious as thought it was, he needed to father all the evidence he could to find Greg.

Nick steadied his breathing, lifting the bloody shirt from the bath tub. He heard something hit the tub once it was out the way, losing any sense of calm he had at the sight of the ID for Greg Sanders Crime Scene Investigator staring him right the face.

"Nick?" Brass watched the man tearing his gloves off, racing for the front door. "Nick, what is it?" He chased him down the driveway, catching him before he climbed into Grissom's car. "Nick, you can't just walk out of a crime scene like that. C'mon Nicky, where are you going?"

"When exactly were you goin' to tell me?" Nick shoved the ID in his face.

Brass took hold of it, getting a closer look at the picture. He felt the blood draining from his face as he lifted his gaze to meet Nick's, realising why he was so upset. "I didn't know. I knew he was missing, but I didn't know about this."

"He has Greg." Nick climbed behind the wheel of the car. "I need to find him."

"Nicky," Brass snatched the keys from him before he could start the engine, backing away from the car. "Just think about this for a moment. This isn't the way to do this. If he has Greg, everything we need to find him is in that house." He pointed back to the abandoned crime scene.

"Give me the keys." Nick insisted, charging after him. "Give them to me!"

"Captain." A deputy cautiously approached them.

"It's alright." Brass tried to defuse the situation. "Nicky, I know you want to find him. Grissom and Burges are already chasing a lead on the van he was taken in. He's not alone either, he's with Floyd. I didn't know that this guy was involved, but if he is, everything that we need to find Greg and Floyd is right back there in that house. You're not going to help anyone by charging off like this."

His emotions bubbling inside him, Nick only managed a slight nod, putting his back to Grissom's car.

"Alright," Brass stuffed the keys into his pocket for safe keeping, hearing his cell ringing. He stayed positioned in front of Nick while he answered it, still a little weary of leaving him on his own. "Brass… yeah?" He pulled his notebook out of his pocket, searching for a pen to write with. "Alright… thanks."

"What is it?" Nick gave him a confused look.

"One of my deputies was just called out to a B and E reported by a neighbour. No one home but the house is registered to Margaret Copeland. Our suspect's mother." He showed him the address. "And get this, she died last week."

"When the fires started?"

"Exactly. Her death could have triggered all this. Warrick and Catherine have been sent to the scene. Are you alright to finish up here?"

As much as he wanted to be out there looking for Greg, he knew that this was the best place for him right now. He reluctantly made his way back inside, pulling on a fresh pair of gloves to get to work. He didn't know what he would do if something happened to Greg.

He was his entire world.

* * *

"Thank you so much for stopping. You have no idea how grateful we are." Leaning across the lab tech beside him, Greg quickly buckled him into the back seat of the stranger's car, before he did the same for himself. "The nearest hospital will be fine." He anxiously looked around out the windows, making sure they weren't being followed. He tried a few of the neighbours houses to get some help, but they were either too scared to answer the door or fast asleep in their beds. He spotted the van Floyd described before he could yell for help, so they ran for the nearest road to try and flag down a car.

Nearly twenty cars passed them, before a kind stranger, Bruce Whittaker pulled up, asking if they needed some help.

"He's not looking too good. Is he going to be alright?" The man in his late sixties adjusted his rear view mirror, watching the wispy breaths escaping the other man's lips.

"I hope so." Greg made sure the towel was still in place over his stab wound. "Floyd, Floyd, hey… stay awake. C'mon, don't fall asleep on me now. You didn't finish telling me about your brother's new wife." He gently shook him to keep him awake. He sensed he was starting to lose too much blood. He was pale, shivering and clammy.

It wasn't looking good.

Greg touched his fingers to the younger man's neck, trying to feel a pulse. He could definitely feel one, but it wasn't very strong. "Hey Bruce, do you have a cell phone I could borrow?"

"Oh… yes, I do." Bruce stopped at the next set of lights, before he went rummaging through the glove compartment. He nabbed the phone from on top of the car manual, handing it through the seats to the younger man. "My daughter bought it for me for Christmas. She said it's so hard to get hold of me without one, but honestly, I've barely touched the thing since she gave it to me. I'm not sure how much juice it has left."

"Thank you." Greg seized hold of the relic, punching the number into the huge buttons covered with letters. He hadn't seen a phone like this in years, but at least it was working. "Floyd, we're almost there. Don't give up on me now." He raised the phone to his ear as he heard someone answer. "Hi, I'm bringing in a stab victim. He's early twenties. He's been stabbed on the right side…"

Bruce focused on the road while Greg spoke to the operator, worrying he wasn't going to get there in time. He had a grandson as young as Floyd.

"Emergency entrance," Greg nodded into the phone. "Okay, we're less than a minute away."

"That's round the east side, right?" Bruce saw the hospital just ahead of them. "Hold on, I know a short cut." He cut into the staff parking lot round the back of the building, skipping through the traffic piled up at the visitors entrance to get to the emergency entrance. He honked his horn once he was in position, watching a couple of nurses and a doctor running towards the car.

"This is Floyd?" The doctor opened the back of the car, nodding to Greg. "Nice to see you again, Sanders." She flashed him a slight smile, checking over the patient. "Alright, let's get him in. Do you know what he was stabbed with?"

"He thought he saw a scalpel sized blade, but he couldn't be sure." Greg clambered out of the car after him, helping them to lift him onto the gurney. "He was talking earlier but he's been kinda out of it since we got in the car."

"Alright, we've got it from here. You should get that checked out." She motioned to his head. "Let's get this one straight into surgery."

Greg gave out a small sigh of relief watching him going inside, feeling as though a ton of bricks had just been lifted from his shoulders.

"Is he going to be alright?" His rescuer appeared beside him.

"I hope so. He's in good hands. Working as a CSI, we kinda get to know the doctors around here. Skyler's a good one. Thank you so much, Bruce." He turned to thank him again. "You have no idea how much you saved us back there. And I'm sorry about the blood in your back seat."

"Don't worry about it. I used to be a taxi driver not too long ago. I had much worse in my back seat then." He cracked a smile, rejecting the younger man's hand shake. "You better get that seen to."

"Oh yeah," He pulled his bloody covered hand away. "I really have to call my boss." Greg touched his fingers to his head, starting to feel a killer headache coming on. "Thank you, Bruce. You're amazing. Like seriously… I'll name my first child after you."

"You really don't have to do that." Bruce lunged forward to catch the younger man, before he threw himself onto the concrete. "Watch your step there, son. Hey, can we get some help here please!"

* * *

**Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.**

**~ Holly**


	13. Chapter 13 - Letting it Go

**Chapter Thirteen – Letting it Go**

"Nick," Rushing for the door to her lab, Wendy threw it open, chasing the man round the corner to share her results with him. "Hey, I got a match to the blood found on the shirt from the bath tub. When he joined the lab a few months back, Grissom made him donate a pint of blood just like the rest of us, so we had his DNA on file." She handed him the file. "The blood on the shirt is the same as the bloody handprint from the door. It's all Floyd's."

"Thanks." He felt bad for feeling a little relieved that it wasn't Greg's. "Have you heard anythin' yet?"

"Sorry no," Wendy shook her head. "Burges hasn't turned in any evidence from her scene to me and I haven't seen Grissom in a few hours. Warrick and Catherine are due back any minute now. They're working the crime scene of your suspect's mother's house."

"Yeah, Warrick called when he got there. He found Greg and Floyd's phones in pieces in the front room." Glancing up as he heard some commotion, Nick watched Ecklie and Grissom stepping off the elevator, arguing about something as they approached his office. "Gris," He hurried towards the man. "What is it? Have you found him? Is he…?"

The two older men exchanged a look.

"What?" Tired of being kept out of the loop, Nick hissed, "Can one of you please just tell me what's goin' on?"

"Gil." Ecklie gave him a stern look.

"He has every right to know. Nick, you're off the case." Grissom grabbed his jacket from behind his office door. "Greg's in the hospital. He has Floyd with him. Brass has already sent a few of his deputies ahead of us. Peter Copeland is still in the wind."

"He can't work this case." The older man protested, pointing an accusing finger at Nick.

"He's not working the case. I took him off the case." Grissom reminded him, ushering Nick towards the door. "I'm heading to the hospital anyway. I'll drive you."

"Is he okay?" Nick felt his heart skip a beat in his chest. His head was swimming already with all the worst case scenarios.

"He didn't say much."

"Greg?" Nick knew something was wrong if he didn't over talk his ears off. "What happened?"

"We'll find out when we get there. Burges is meeting us at the hospital to collect the evidence. Greg confirmed that they were being held in Peter Copeland's mother's house. Catherine and Warrick are going through the basement now." Grissom led him to the elevator, seeing the blood draining from Nick's face. He knew there was nothing he could say to make it right, he just had to get him to Greg before he flew off the rails.

* * *

"Whoa," Recoiling away from the man coming at him with a needle, Greg raised his hands in a surrender pose either side of him. "Is that really necessary? That's a big needle. I'm not exactly looking for anything else to take the edge off." He was trapped on a hospital bed in a side cubicle, so he didn't exactly have anywhere to run.

"Give it to me." Doctor Skyler appeared beside the nurse. She dismissed the man, while she gloved up to tend to her fussy patient. "I see you're enjoying the pain killers we gave you earlier." She giggled softly. "C'mon, don't be such a baby, Sanders. It'll numb the area so we can stitch you up. Unless you want to leave those wounds open to infection much longer. Do you want me to start with your hand or head first?"

After a moment of thought, Greg sighed out a deep breath, "Hand. Be careful."

"Don't be such a baby." She approached him with the needle in her hand. "You'll be pleased to know that Floyd came through his surgery okay. He lost a lot of blood, but the blade didn't puncture anything major and no damage to his kidney. He's going to be out of it for a while, but he should be alright thanks to you. You may have saved his life."

"Cool." Greg sucked in a sharp breath as the needle poked into his skin. "How many stitches do you recon it'll take?"

"For the hand? I don't know," She examined it a little closer. "It's pretty wide. You're lucky you didn't tear anything when you pulled that shard of glass out. We'll have to check the nerve damage later, but I can already confirm there's no glass left inside."

"Next time I'll remember to leave it in."

"Good. It could save your life." Skyler positioned a pillow beneath his hand to prop it up, before she poked him with something sharp. "Is it working yet?"

Greg shrugged his shoulders together, relaxing back against his pillow. "I didn't feel anything."

"Alright," She got started on stitching it up. "Let me know if it hurts."

"Okay," Giggling softly, Greg slurred, "For the record my safe word is ouch. It's pretty direct."

"Okay, I'll try to remember that one." She smirked at his flirtatious remark. "Just try to hold still. We don't want it to leave too big of a scar." The doctor glanced over her shoulder as the curtain swept open, seeing another familiar face. "CSI Stokes, we haven't seen you here in a while." She ushered him in. "Are you here for this one?"

"Yeah," Nick pulled the curtain behind him, a look of relief on his face. "Flirting with the doctors already, G?"

"This one hardly counts as flirting." He defended himself. "Besides, Skyler's into the ladies. She got herself hitched four months back." He held up four of his fingers.

"Really? Congratulations." Nick took a step closer. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"I don't kiss and tell. Unlike this one," Skyler got to work. "He hasn't stopped talking since we got him in here. Most people are in and out of it with a concussion, but I don't think Greg has stopped talking since he woke up."

"He's unique like that. Is he doin' okay?"

"He will be as soon as I can get him to sit still long enough to stitch him up." She reached for his hand again. "The cuts are superficial mostly. They look worse than they actually are. We were a little worried about the head wound after he passed out, but the scans showed no signs of swelling or bruising to his skull. He might be a little headachy for the next few days, but it's nothing a little bed rest and plenty of fluids can't cure. CSI Burges already came by to get his clothes. I think she's upstairs with Floyd now if you want to join her."

"No I… I'm not actually here on business." Nick stuffed his hands into his pockets, trying to control his nerves. "He's more… personal."

"This may come as a surprise to you Sky, but I _have_ friends." Greg waved to the man with his other hand. "This one happens to be my very best friend. I'm even going to marry him one day."

"Is that right?" Skyler returned his smile. "You're lucky you didn't lose your ring finger when you pulled that glass out then. Do you think you could hold your hand still while I stick this needle through it for me?" She waited for him to stop moving, before she pulled it through the skin on the other side. "There we are. One down."

"Take one down and pass it around, ninety eight more stitches to go." Greg sung out loud.

Nick couldn't help but chuckle, feeling a sense of calm seeing a more familiar side to his fiancé. "Is he stoned?"

"Oh no," Skyler giggled softly, "He's just on pain killers. We gave him the good stuff after he gave his statement to the police. They should wear off soon."

"Yep, that'll do it." The Texan cracked a smile. "He's kind of a lightweight."

Noticing how calm and still Greg had become, Skyler ushered the other man closer, "You're more than welcome to sit with him. I've just got to stitch his head wound after I'm finished here. It shouldn't be too long. He has a mild concussion so he's going to have to take it easy for a while. We'll give you a list of things to look out for later, but he should be fine."

"Alright," Approaching the other side of the bed, Nick perched himself on the edge, giving Greg a smile as he instinctively reached out for him with his good hand. "I've never seen you so out of it before. Do you even know where you're at right now, G?"

"Of course," Greg flashed him a smile. "I'm fine, Tex. I actually feel alive. Since the alley way and the beating, I felt like I was hopeless or trapped. I was always on edge, worried about every little thing going on around me. Tonight… I was scared, but I wanted to live. Floyd was scared too which kinda made me just want to fight harder to get us out of there."

Nick gave him a proud smile, tightly gripping his fingers between his own. "You had me worried, G."

"I'm fine. Honestly, I feel great." He raised his arm, looking at the drip still connected to it. "Can you give me another shot of that stuff?"

"No." Skyler giggled softly. "No more pain killers for you. That's just to keep you hydrated. You don't need any more pain killers right now. You'll be begging for some later when that wears off though. You'll need plenty of rest to get over this concussion."

"Yeah, they're not fun." Nick spoke from experience. "I think I felt severely hung over for a few weeks, before my head started to feel normal again."

"Ouch. Easy with the needle, doc." Greg suddenly winced. "Are you almost done?"

"Yep, it's the last one." She tied it off. "Alright, I'll go get something to bandage that up then we'll get started on your head. Be right back." Skyler snapped her gloves off, disappearing out the curtain behind them.

"Do you think I could pass it off as a bear attack?" He held his hand out, admiring the scar it could form.

Nick shook his head. "I doubt it. And why would a bear attack you?"

"Because it sounds cooler than just a piece of glass." Greg tilted his head to the side, giving his partner a smile. "I missed you. You're more beautiful than I remembered."

Nick shook off a laugh, adoring seeing the man like this. "You know, I don't remember flyin' this high when I had my concussion. In fact all I could think about was fightin' the urge to throw up as they wheeled me out of here."

"Really?" Greg raised an eyebrow at him. "When did you have a concussion?"

"You don't remember? Nigel Crane. He threw me out of the window." He jogged his memory. "I cracked a couple of ribs, broke my wrist and hit my head. I got out of the hospital a few hours later and he attacked me again at my house."

"Oh yeah," Greg shuddered at the thought. "And we're still living in that house."

"Not for much longer," Nick remained positive. "I was tryin' to find you earlier. I got a call from our realtor today. Things are runnin' a little smoother on the sellers end now, so we should be gettin' keys to our new place by next week."

"Next week." He whistled. "It feels like it's been forever since we looked around it." Closing his eyes, Greg tried to picture what it looked like, but he couldn't focus right now. His brain was too wired and he could feel Nick shaking beside him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not the one in hospital here, G." He cracked a grin.

"Yeah, but I'm still allowed to worry about you. The last time I was hurt on the job, you went and punched a punk in the guts." He gently stroked the other man's hand with his thumb. "The thought of you kept me going more than anything. I kept thinking the last time I saw you would really be the last time I ever saw you. I couldn't even remember if I said goodbye or told you I loved you."

"You did." Nick nodded slightly. "You said all of that before you kissed me on my way out the door. I almost didn't want to leave you after that kiss." He raised Greg's hand, pressing his lips to the back of it. "I don't know what I'd do without you, G."

"Lucky for you, you won't have to find out for a long, long time." He pulled him closer, loving the look in his big brown puppy dog eyes. "Did you really think I'd skip out on you before we got married? There's no way I'd leave you with both of our mothers and half our wedding already planned. You didn't tell my Mom about…"

"No," He shook his head. "I've been avoidin' her calls since I found out. She's gonna know somethin' is up the next time I talk to her though. Even if I don't say anythin', she'll know."

"Leave her to me. If she even wants to talk to me anymore."

"With you still doped up to your eyeballs?" Nick chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I don't think that's the best idea there, boss. She'll be able to tell within a few seconds that somethin' is wrong. That's just askin' for trouble, G. I'll call her back later; try to come up with an excuse about work. Hopefully by then she'll have a few glasses of wine in her and she won't be able to tell I'm lyin'."

"You know my mother so well." Greg gently tapped the man's thigh. "I hope you know that you have the easy job there."

"I know… I'm sorry they've made you jump through so many hoops. My father really likes you now and I think my Mama is really startin' to come around to this whole weddin' thing. She really wants it all official and everythin'. She won't let your mother turn it into a joke. She's even invitin' her sister which is a huge step for her." Suppressing a smile, Nick admitted, "I'm actually kinda nervous knowin' they're both goin' to be there, along with their extended family. Goin' home for the holidays was complicated enough. Havin' all of them there on one of the most important days of my life…"

"Are you getting cold feet?"

"You're kiddin', right? I wouldn't be doin' any of this if it wasn't for you. Marryin' you is the one thing I'm completely sure of. I'm just sayin' if this thing gets any more complicated, we're takin' a ride down to an Elvis chapel to get hitched."

Greg cracked an adorable grin, "You'd really take Elvis over a big family get together?"

"Hey you're the most important part about this day. I don't need the stress of my family on my back on a day I want to remember for the rest of my life."

"Alright," Greg nodded softly. "As long as you're happy that's the most important part for me." He reached for Nick's hand, entwining their fingers together. "I love seeing you smile. The whites of your eyes sparkle when you're really happy."

Nick smiled widely, trying to remember the last time he saw Greg this playful. "I think this is the first twenty minutes alone together that we've gotten in the last… three weeks." He bent to press a kiss to Greg's forehead, smiling as he looked into his eyes. "You really don't have to do stuff like this to get some attention from me, baby."

"I wish you told me that before." He teased. "Hey, did you check on, Floyd?"

"No not yet. I heard he's out of surgery. Grissom is on his way up there now. He's doin' okay." He assured the younger man. "I was gonna go with him… but I needed to see you."

"Good because I missed you." When tears started falling from Nick's eyes, Greg gently pulled him closer, holding him tight against his shoulder. "You're so adorable. I hope you're off shift because I don't want you working like this." He kissed his neck, gently smoothing his hand across his shoulders. He loved the warmth of his body against his own, the feel of his heart pounding heavily and his wispy breaths against his bare skin. "Seriously, I'm okay. I told you, I feel fine."

Nick shook his head, gripping him tighter. "I thought I lost you."

"You're not going to lose me." Greg clutched the man's shoulder, trying not to wince too loudly as his partner held him in a bone crushing hug. "I promise you that I'm not going anywhere. I love you too much to leave you like this. Your happiness means everything to me." He breathed in his familiar scent, falling even deeper in love with him. "Mm, you smell so good."

"I haven't showered in almost two days and I've been rummaging through burnt out buildings and trash."

"Yeah, well you still smell amazing." The younger man chuckled softly, pushing him back to look into his bleary eyes. "How's your heart rate?"

"Would you stop monitorin' me?" Nick protested, pushing his hand away from him. "You said I sounded like your mother the other day, well you're startin' to sound like mine. Only she never bothered to monitor my heart rate and breathin'."

"It's because I love you so much and I know you wouldn't tell me if you were on the verge of a panic attack otherwise. You never tell me. You just hide it and pretend it's nothing."

"Well there's no need to worry because as you can see I'm fine." He forced out a smile.

Greg gave him the all too familiar bullshit detector look, before he dropped back to his pillow with a sigh. He wanted to break through that hard exterior that Nick always put up when he was feeling vulnerable, but he really didn't have the energy to do it right now. "I hope you brought me some clothes. Burges kinda took all of mine away into evidence." He broke the silence. "I'm so glad I wore clean underwear today."

"I didn't," The older man suppressed a smile. "But I can quickly go and grab some stuff. The lab is closer. I always keep some spare clothes in my locker. Sara said she's gonna swing by and see you after she's finished up, so I could get her to bring them in."

"You can't ask her to run errands in her condition."

"Condition?"

"Doh," Greg realised he had spilled a secret that he wasn't supposed to. "I guess the cats already out of the bag now, no way we can put in back. She's pregnant."

"What? Since when," Nick gave him a confused look. "Why didn't she say anythin'?"

"She told me on New Year's." He continued to blurt out the secrets. "You'll never guess who the father is."

"Not that paramedic guy that cheated on her." He feared what she had gotten herself into.

"Nope," Greg shook his head. "Someone a little closer to home."

Nick knew it couldn't be possible, but it was the only man he could think of. "Greg, do you have somethin' to tell me?"

"Not me." He couldn't help but giggle. "Do you really think I'd cheat on you with Sara?"

"I don't know. You used to have a thing for her."

"I wouldn't do that to you. You know that I would never do anything to hurt you. Not intentionally anyway. And you and I both know that Sara only sees me as a friend or a little brother that she needs to protect. I always get stuck in the friend zone with girls I like. My flirtatious attempts towards her were nothing more than a joke to her."

Nick gave him a confused look. "So if it's not you then…"

"Grissom." He blurted it right out.

"Grissom? As in our supervisor Grissom?"

Greg giggled softly. "Unless you know of any other Grissom's in her life."

"Wow, I didn't think he had it in him. I know he's popular with the ladies. There's that Teri Miller and the dominatrix lady Heather, but I never thought Sara would be into an older guy like him."

"Yeah well, older men are sexy." Leaning forwards, Greg stole a kiss from the man's lips, giving him a smile as he pulled back. "Certain older men. Only certain older men are sexy." He corrected himself. "That cuts out Hodges and Ecklie, right? We should get a cat."

"Huh?"

"A cat." Greg realised he had lost him in the midst of another one of his long winded explanations. "Little furry four legged creatures that most people consider cute or adorable. I've never had one."

"Yeah I heard you; I just wasn't sure where that came from. Your near death experience made you want to get a cat?"

"Maybe a dog is more your thing. It'll give you that manly edge when you boast about it to all your guy friends. We can wait until we get our new place obviously, but I've always wanted a pet. My Papa Olaf used to tease me with the reward of a hamster or a gerbil to look after if I got good grades but my Mom was allergic to all kinds of things, so I never got the chance. Her whole jaw swelled up once just from walking into my Aunts dog lover condo."

"Manly edge?" Nick's smile spread a little wider. "You are completely out of your mind, Greg. So you want to get a cat?"

Greg brushed his finger over the ring Nick had returned to his finger. "I love you more than anything. I care about you so much and I think you do too, which is you don't always tell me everything. Honestly, I feel like I have to protect you from certain things too. Things that could hurt you or break your spirit…"

"Greg…"

"Just give me a second," Greg cut him off. "I'm trying to tell you that I trust you with my life and you can trust me to keep you safe. I'm not going anywhere. I'm in this for the long haul and every moment that I spend with you, just makes me love you more and more. You can trust me, Nicky. I'll love you no matter what."

"Greg," He spoke in a barely audible voice. "I'm fine. I do trust you. We don't need a cat for you to prove that you're devoted to me."

"If you do trust me then…"

"I'm not havin' a panic attack!" Nick insisted, wishing he would just drop it. "I was worried. I ran up two friggin' flights of stairs to find you, but I'm okay. You're the one we should be worried about here. You're in a hospital bed doin' all this crazy talk that you keep doin'."

"Butt naked beneath this thing too." Greg lifted the itchy gown away from his chest. "I think I flashed my butt to like five people walking back from x-ray."

A fresh smile graced the older man's lips. "You're so baked. Is this what you were like in college?"

"No… that didn't come until later. But I mean it."

"Which part?" Confusion twisted Nick's brow, "Gettin' a cat, your Mom's allergies or your butt?"

Greg threw his head back in laughter, feeling the pain rattling through his skull once again. "Ow… don't make me laugh." He raised his hand to his forehead, blocking out the bright lights above them. "I feel the whirring pain coming back. Do you think you can turn on your Texan charm and get one of the nurses to top up my pain relief?"

"No, you don't need another dose." Nick slid a little closer towards him on the bed. "For the record, I wouldn't be completely against the idea of gettin' a cat or a dog. I practically grew up with them. We had this one cat for fifteen years that used to sleep right next to me on my bed. He'd wait for me at the bottom of the driveway to get home from school."

"Fifteen years?" Greg moved his hand away from his eyes. "Whoa… that's a big commitment."

Nick heard a very loud gulp coming from the younger man. "Gettin' any pet is a big commitment. You really didn't know that?"

"I told you… I've never had one to know that. I thought maybe five or six years. Fifteen?" He whistled. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of commitment."

Nick chuckled softly. "How long are you gonna be married to me then?"

"I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders together. "I figure maybe seven or eight years before you trade me in for a younger model."

"That's all you give me. Eight years of loyalty before I move onto the next one?" Nick playfully jabbed his sides. "You're the first man… person that I've ever let in completely. As far as I'm concerned, I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"Get a room you two." Skyler gave the two of them a smile, closing the curtain behind her.

"We kinda did have a room until you barged in."

"This isn't a room, Greg. It's a cubicle and you have six other patients all around you who can hear everything you say." She enlightened the younger man, snapping on a fresh pair of gloves. "How are those drugs working out for you Greg?"

"I think they're starting to wear off. Can I have some more?"

"No. I just need to stitch your head then you're free to go home." Skyler set down her arm full of supplies, giving him a smile. "I never knew you were so sentimental, Stokes." She gave him a smile. "I adopted my rescue dog four years ago now and he's the best friend I ever had."

"A dog is your best friend?" Greg raised an eyebrow at her, receiving a playful swat from his fiancé.

"Yes, my four legged friend has been with me through a lot. We look out for each other." She defended herself. "He's very loyal and loving. All I'm saying is the commitment is worth it. Now let's get this head sorted out." She moved round the other side of the bed. "Do you mind switching sides, Stokes?"

"Sure. I uh… I'm gonna call Sara real quick. I'll be right back." Nick wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his shirt, reluctantly leaving his fiancé behind a moment. He waved to him before he disappeared outside the curtain, searching for the nearest exit for some air.

His chest was beginning to feel a little tight in there.

He took a moment to breathe in the fresh air, before he dug his cell out of his pocket. He had so many missed calls from his mother and mother in law now, it was though he had suddenly fallen off the planet.

Ignoring them for now, he skipped through his contacts until he found the person he actually wanted to talk to, hoping neither one of his mother's were on their way to Vegas right now.

"Hey Sara," He found himself a seat near the entrance. "Yeah, I'm okay… Greg's okay too. Can I ask you a favour?"

* * *

"Warrick," Putting his back to Floyd's room, Grissom watched the other man approaching with a file tucked under his arm. "Did you get your results back from the house?"

"Most of them." Warrick nodded, checking on the younger man first. "How's he doing?"

"Surgery went fine. They stopped the bleeding. He'll be alright. His parents should be here soon." He checked the time on his watch again, dreading what he was going to say to these people. "He's still out there somewhere. What did you get from the crime scene?"

Warrick glanced around the busy hallway they were stood in, before he dug the folder out from under his arm. "We got tons of evidence of Greg and Floyd all over the basement. Plenty of DNA evidence of our suspect in the basement and the house too." He handed the folder over to his anxious supervisor. "This is everything we got from a computer we found in the upstairs bedroom that looked recently used. He installed security alarm systems in all of arson cases. Archie found files on houses that haven't been targeted yet."

"How many are we looking at?"

"Fourteen," Warrick sighed softly, moving aside as a nurse came hurrying through the hallway. "We've already given the list to Brass. He wants to keep a lid on this before it reaches Ecklie…"

"This explains how he got in." Grissom rubbed his chin, shuddering at the thought of it. "What about Carl Davis?"

"Nothing." He knew it wasn't what his supervisor wanted to hear, but it was the truth.

"You're sure." Grissom nailed him for guilty the moment he laid eyes on him.

"Positive. There's nothing to link him. Whatever he's involved in, it's not this. Brass has security on Greg. The deputy will be up here as soon as Greg's discharged."

"They're discharging him?"

"Yeah, he's just got a few stitches. Doc thinks it's best to recover from the concussion at home."

"Good." Grissom tapped his cell on his hip. "Keep me informed. I'm going to stay here with Floyd for a while. Did you find the weapon he was stabbed with?"

"No." Warrick shook his head. "There was evidence of Floyd's blood all over the kitchen sink in his Mom's house and the clothes Nick found in his apartment, but no sign of the weapon."

"Is Sara staying?"

"Yeah, I think she wanted to come sit with Floyd for a while." Warrick checked on the man himself, relieved that Greg got him here in time. "Oh hey, did you know Sara's pregnant?" He glanced back at his supervisor.

"Huh," Grissom hoped the blush creeping into his cheeks wasn't burning too brightly. "Who told you?"

"I just bumped into Nick. He asked me if I knew. It's obvious now I know. I can't believe she hid it from us all for so long."

Grissom nodded slightly, anxiously biting his bottom lip. He didn't mind so much that people knew she was expecting. It was more the fact that no one knew about them and he was nothing to her child at this point. It stung a little, but it was his own fault for putting them in this situation. He glanced down as his phone vibrated, relieved to see Sara's name flashing across his screen.

"Sara… Nick?" He had to double take. "Why do you have Sara's phone?" The panic started to set in. "Nick… slow down, where is she?"

"What's happened?" Warrick gave him a confused look.

"Sara… she's gone into labour." Grissom lowered the phone to his hip. "I'm going to be a father."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello Readers, I've decided to speed events along a bit from here on. I had a few more chapters planned before the next one, but I don't feel motivated to write much more for this story with the lack of reader input. Reader input is always helpful to let me know where to take the story, what I did wrong or what you would like to see in upcoming chapters, but it seems like reviews are lost on Fanfiction now. Even FictionPress and Archiveofourown are severely lacking on the reader input front now...**

**Anyway, thank you for reading this story so far. ****I hope you liked this chapter, if you did maybe you could let me know and I hope you have a great weekend.**

**~ Holly**


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